5 moves Buccaneers can make to dominate the NFC South in 2024
By Rob Leeds
Sign Cam Akers to a one-year prove-it deal
The Buccaneers may really like what they have in Rachaad White, but betting on just one running back for a team that makes it clear that the run is a priority is a dangerous game.
As much as we all hope it never happens, the Bucs are one key injury away from essentially having no running back room. That is why it is all but guaranteed that this team is gonna be looking for an option with more upside than Chase Edmonds or Sean Tucker.
The free agent market has a lot of names with experience that will be playing on near-minimum contracts, and this also seems like a better approach than reaching on a back in one of the middle rounds that doesn't pan out, a strategy the Bucs have been far too keen to use in recent years with the exception of White.
Of the group available, the Bucs can take a run at a guy that has struggled with injuries but still has upside (like J.K. Dobbins), a young guy that has something to prove (Cam Akers), or a veteran that is looking to prove they still have some gas in the tank (Ezekiel Elliott).
Akers probably makes the most sense of that group as a guy that won't threaten White as the lead back but could provide when called upon without draining the already-limited Tampa cap space.
Not a ton of exciting names there, but that isn't what the Bucs need here. All they need is options that are better than what they have that don't cost draft picks, and these guys fit that bill.
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