Buccaneers run game: Doomed to fail or just mismanaged?

The Buccaneer run game’s biggest problem is that capital is quickly being invested, yet players aren’t given a chance to create a return on the initial investment.

There is no way to put a spin on how bad of a season that Ronald Jones had during his rookie year. Injuries, deficiencies in the passing game, and limited production all left a sour taste in the mouth of the fanbase.

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While Jones was expected to take over the starting job during his rookie year, Peyton Barber was able to serve as the lead back during that time. Barber was mediocre, but never anything more. He was rarely an explosive runner, his pass-blocking was average, and the run game was never able to pop during his tenure as a starter.

After starting for a year, Barber was expected to maintain the role at the beginning of the 2019 season. Had this been what occurred, the Bucs would have been well on their way to wasting a second-round draft pick.

Jones quickly turned around his career with a massively improved 2019 season, yet the Buccaneers did not hand the reins over to the second-year back. Peyton Barber was a handcuff that crippled the sophomore “starter,” and Jones was pulled from games at the smallest mistake.

The biggest question that needs to be asked is this: can the Buccaneers properly evaluate running back talent?

Ronald Jones is extremely gifted as a runner, that much anyone can see, but were his failures as a pass blocker overlooked or just unnoticed?

The real test for this question will be how Ke’Shawn Vaughn pans out. The Buccaneers reached on the back from Vanderbilt, and if he has a great season, that will show that those evaluating running back talent in Tampa Bay are here to stay. If Vaughn struggles, the question will still be answered.

With a second and third-round pick currently on the roster, one would think that the Buccaneers will see an uptick in their rushing offense with so much invested in the position.

To give a comparison, the Saints have an excellent ground attack headed by Alvin Kamara (third-round pick), Latavius Murray (sixth-round pick), and Ty Montgomery (former receiver drafted in the third round).

If Tampa Bay is going to start investing in the ground game, results better begin to appear quickly.