Buccaneers could move on from veteran Tom Brady weapon

Tampa Bay Buccaneers, Giovani Bernard, (Jayne Kamin-Oncea-USA TODAY Sports)
Tampa Bay Buccaneers, Giovani Bernard, (Jayne Kamin-Oncea-USA TODAY Sports)

The Buccaneers have seen plenty of good from three of their running backs during the preseason. Giovani Bernard is not one of those three.

Giovani Bernard was looked at as an excellent signing for Tom Brady and the Buccaneers when the news initially broke.

Pairing Brady with one of the best pass-catching running backs in the NFL seemed like a no-brainer when it was all said and done.

The results did not live up to this hype.

Bernard was decent, but he was buried on the depth chart behind guys like Leonard Fournette and Ronald Jones.

Now, Bernard could find himself behind Fournette, Rachaad White, and Ke’Shawn Vaughn, and that could cause the Buccaneers to rethink their current partnership.

Fournette is the obvious one as a good rusher and pass-catcher, White looks like a bonafide starter and should be getting RB2 reps before the end of the season with the ability to catch as well or better than Fournette, and Vaughn is finally living up to his draft status as a rusher.

Bernard is the fourth-best rusher in this room and struggles with injuries far too often to be a reliable option for Brady. With a lot of questions about the rest of the roster and the apparent desire to carry four tight ends, seven wide receivers, and three quarterbacks on the active roster, cutting the running back room down to three guys might make sense.

None of this is to say that Bernard is a bad player or that he brings nothing to the table, but the Bucs don’t construct their offense in a way that brings the most out of a guy like Bernard. White brings more as a guy that could threaten the pass or the run. Vaughn is a better bruiser. The Buccaneers make a choice with how they use Bernard, and it isn’t the most effective as it stands.

While it would still be surprising to see the team make a move like this, it doesn’t seem like anything is set in stone for Giovani Bernard and his future with Tom Brady in Tampa.

Perhaps the Buccaneers could come to see a split as the best option for all parties if they have enough confidence in their current healthy running back trio.

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