Buccaneers: Trying to make sense of the confusing backfield

Draft picks and free agency for the Buccaneers

The Buccaneers have not been a good team at evaluating running back talent for a long time now. Doug Martin was the last bright spot on the radar, and every one since then has not lived up to billing.

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Just looking at the current roster, Jones has struggled to make a convincing claim in the starting job for the better part of three seasons, Fournette is hard to evaluate with a limited sample size but is probably the best option right now, and Ke’Shawn Vaughn and LeSean McCoy have both underachieved massively this year.

When a team invests its capital in ineffective backs and uses them in an analytics-averse fashion, disaster is sure to strike. Given Tampa Bay’s horrific play calling on rushing downs, this combination leaves the Buccaneers with one of the worst ground attacks in the entire NFL.

This is nothing new to Buccaneer fans. The down years from Doug Martin were brutal, and the Peyton Barber first-down runs were boring enough to put even the most die-hard fan to sleep. Tampa Bay keeps on shooting itself in the foot from the top to the bottom when running the football, and significant changes are needed if the Bucs hope to see any improvements.