4 realistic running back trades targets for Buccaneers

Javonte Williams and Samaje Perine

There's no nice way to put it, Denver is in a free fall and a fire sale feels imminent. Sean Payton's failure is objectively hilarious to Bucs fans, but it's something that might prompt him to go nuclear and blow things up in the name of saving face after inheriting a mess.

Tampa Bay might be able to benefit from this, as the Broncos have a pair of running backs that could be had at a reasonable price.

Javonte Williams is a year removed from a major knee injury and is starting to make his way back, but he was an electric rookie while healthy. He rushed for almost 1,000 yards in an offense where he split carries with Melvin Gordon before eventually pushing past him as the starter. He only played four games last year but racked up 204 yards in what was essentially three games since he blew out his knee in the fourth week of the season. That would have put him on pace to rush for roughly 1,100 yards which is the upside the Bucs would be buying.

There's also Samaje Perine to consider, who might cost even less than Williams. He carved out a nice stint with the Bengals while filling in for Joe Mixon, something that led to him getting a deal in Denver to do the same alongside Williams. An added benefit of acquiring Perine is that he's under contract for another season, and is getting paid a very reasonable $7.5 million which could intrigue the front office.

Williams would be an absolute steal based on his long-term upside, and it might be a perfect storm for the Bucs to land him. Denver desperately needs to recoup draft capital after spending almost all it on acquiring Payton and Russell Wilson which bodes well for his price.