4 realistic running back trades targets for Buccaneers

We're nearing the NFL Trade Deadline, which will expire on Halloween, and the rumor mill is starting to turn faster and faster.

Big names are being tossed around by insiders, despite the fact that the NFL deadline is never as wild or crazy as it is in baseball or basketball. Still, there have been notable players traded in years past which is enough to whet the appetite of fans hoping to see their team make a splashy deal.

For the Tampa Bay Buccaneers, the conversation has focused on how the run game can be improved. Somehow, despite the changes made this offseason, the rushing attack is worse than it was last year. The Bucs offense is averaging just 3.0 yards per carry, which has prompted calls for more changes to be made.

There's been some talk about bringing back Leonard Fournette, something that seems to be mostly smoke without any fire. Lenny was supposed to workout for the Buffalo Bills this week but that was nixed when the team learned it was getting Ty Johnson back -- which tells you where Fournette is in the running back pecking order.

Keep in mind Chase Edmonds is returning to the Bucs after his stint on IR is over, so there’s some sort of change coming in the future no matter what happens.

Todd Bowles has stated that the team isn't currently looking at making any major changes to the running back room, which throws a little water on the trade chatter. How real that chatter is and how much of it is just fans talking is yet to be seen, but the team has at least drawn some semblance of a line in the sand.

If the front office changes its mind, though, there are a few candidates that make sense as potential targets in a trade before the deadline.

4 realistic running backs Buccaneers could target

Rachaad Penny

If the Bucs are going to make a trade, they aren't going to be flashy about it. The price and fit will need to be right for a move to be made, and Rashaad Penny checks both of those boxes.

Penny has been edged out of a crowded Philadelphia backfield, as he's the clear RB4 behind D'Andre Swift, Kenneth Gainwell, and Boston Scott. The Eagles aren't using him and Howie Roseman probably wouldn't mind getting a Day 3 pick for him, and there's a familiarity with the Bucs thanks to Dave Canales.

Canales and Penny were together as part of the same offense in Seattle, and much of that system was brought to Tampa Bay. Injuries have held him back, but he's a former first round pick who averaged over 70 yards per game just a few years ago behind a Seahawks offensive line that wasn't really that great. There's upside in bringing Penny in -- not the least of which is being able to tout a Rashaad and Rachaad backfield -- and he'd be an affordable trade target for the front office.