An NFL insider offers up a comment on recent links between the Tampa Bay Buccaneers and free agent running back Ezekiel Elliott.
Despite entering free agency without a ton of money to spend, the Tampa Bay Buccaneers have quietly put together an incredible offseason.
Jason Licht and company managed to bring back Jamel Dean and Lavonte David — two defense stars that seemed sure to leave in free agency — as well as Anthony Nelson and Aaron Stinne.
Baker Mayfield was signed to compete with Kyle Trask for the starting quarterback role, a deal that could amount to nothing more than an important $4 million consulting fee in the end.
All of this movement changed the perception of the Bucs offseason plans, which were once deemed rather bleak but flipped on a dime once moves started to be made. It led some to connect Tampa Bay with free agent running back Ezekiel Elliott after he was released by the Dallas Cowboys last week.
Tampa Bay had a positional need that Elliott could fill after Leonard Fournette asked to be released and vacated a spot in the backfield next to Rashaad White. The Bucs indeed added a running back last week, but signed Chase Edmonds rather than Elliott which led to speculation that the team was out on a pursuit of Elliott.
Buccaneers rumors: NFL insider comments on Ezekiel Elliott
NFL insider Jordan Schultz recently spoke on the Elliott rumors and offered an update on where he believes things stand as the second week of free agency begins.
What’s notable here is that yet another NFL insider with their finger on the pulse of free agency sees a link between Zeke Elliott and the Bucs. It doesn’t mean there’s anything actively in the works, but it’s a conversation that hasn’t dried up in a way some might have expected.
“Another one that’s interesting to me is Tampa Bay, where he could reunite with his running backs coach he was with back in Dallas who he has a great relationship with,” Schultz said. “I’m not saying he’s the All-Pro caliber running back he was the first couple years, but he seems to me to be a very valuable player to have on your team.”
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There are a few things to take away from this, not the least of which is the continued linking of Elliott to Tampa Bay. The Bucs signed Edmonds last week which seems to take them out of the market for a running back, and the price tag on Elliott needs to be considered too.
But despite all of that the Bucs remain in the conversation on a national level which is worth paying attention to.
Perhaps bigger than the rumor itself is how Skip Peete continues to be brought up. Dave Canales hired him away from the Cowboys to do what he did for Dallas — one of the best backfields in the NFL — for the backs in Tampa Bay.
Already Peete has been mentioned as a potential reason free agents like Elliott would want to come to the Bucs and it’s exciting to imagine what he’ll be able to do in terms of leveling up Rachael White’s game next season.
Whether or not Elliott comes to Tampa Bay almost seems beside the point, as the consistent mentioning of Peete feels like the real thing to get excited about.