Buccaneers: 5 biggest surprises of the early NFL season
By Rob Leeds
The run game has substantially improved
After all of the moves made during this offseason, the Buccaneers needed their run game to be substantially better than in previous years. Tampa Bay signed two big-name free agents and used two draft picks to fill depth, and these moves paid off in the end.
Ronald Jones is the lone returner from last season, and while his beginning of the season was rocky, he was able to turn his luck around with his first 100-yard rushing game of the season this past weekend.
Jones has shown a clear upside that warrants his staying in Tampa Bay, but the Buccaneers also have several other faces worth noting.
The other 100-yard rusher for the season is Leonard Fournette. Fournette was a massive signing before the start of the season, and he has been an excellent pairing with Jones. The Bucs have two home run hitters on their offense with this duo, and Tampa Bay could see their first 1,000-yard rusher for the first time since Doug Martin.
Outside of the expected names, LeSean McCoy and Ke’Shawn Vaughn have also put together impressive starts to the season in the passing game. McCoy has received a higher volume, but Vaughn had a touchdown reception with a chance for another during his first NFL appearance, and he could show up more in this role in the future.