The Buccaneers Need A RB1

Buccaneers RB - Doug Martin

by Douglas O'Connor
follow me on Twitter @Ren_Daxt  

     The 5 year $35.7 million contract Doug Martin signed during the 2016 off season was intended to shore up the Buccaneers backfield for a minimum of 2 years. Giving the Bucs, along with Charles "Chuck" Sims, a extremely productive one, two combo that would make opposing defensive coordinators burn the midnight oil devising a game plan to stop the duo.

     Now with Martin's suspension and Sims inability to run the ball between the tackles. The Bucs have two UDFA running backs , two blocking fullbacks, and an ex-college QB under contract to fill the Doug Martin void.  

     I'll go over what the Bucs have, what's available in free agency, and draft prospects the Bucs could be looking at to fill their huge running back need.

What The Bucs Have

     Doug Martin is under contract as of time of post, but that may change. There are so many factors to the Martin situation it's hard to know what will happen. Here is what we know. 

• Martin has served 1 game of his 4 game suspension. 
• It takes a total of 5 failed banned substances test to receive a 4 game ban.
• Martin's 2017 guaranteed money can be voided by the Bucs.
• This move will not accrue any dead money on the Bucs salary cap.
• If this happens Martin will become an UFA.
• Cutting martin will save the Bucs $27.7 million over the next 4 years.
• The Bucs have until June 1st to make a decision.

     As a football fans we all hope that Martin can clean up and make it back into the league, but the fact is that trust was broken. Martin broke the trust of fans and most important the trust of his employer. An employer that just rewarded him with $19 million in guaranteed money.

     So the question is, does the Bucs need at running back trump the very real possibility of Martin getting suspended again?

     If Martin tests positive for the 6th time he will be banished from the league for an entire year and will have to apply for reinstatement. Given this, Martin's history with injuries, and the cap room the Buccaneers would save. I think that Doug Martins days sporting the pewter and red on Sunday's are over. We here at Real Bucs Talk wish him all the best but his contributions as a Buc are over.

     Charles Sims had his chance to shine in the 2016 season. After Doug Martin went down in week two the RB1 job was his to lose, and he did just that. His week three showing against the Rams was positive, averaging 4.2 yards per rush and 11.5 yards per reception. He even found the end zone. However the following week against Denver his averages dipped to 1.9 and 3.5 respectively.

     Many critics, myself included, pointed out that the holes were there but Sims tap dancing behind the line of scrimmage when asked to run between the tackles was killing the Bucs run game. Charles came up lame after the Broncos game and didn't return for ten weeks. Essentially ending Sims chance to become a long term solution.

     Sims is a valuable cog to the Buccaneers offense but needs to get the ball in space to be most effective. He has excellent hands and has the speed to take it to the house from anywhere on the field but if it's 3rd and 3 or less, Sims has shown he's not the guy.

     Peyton Barber, a UDFA out of Auburn, was promoted from the practice squad to the 53 man roster on September 8th 2016 because of injuries. Spelling the starter for a few plays at a time was all the action Barber could muster. Barber runs with some power but lacks in the "make ya miss" part of his game, especially when running between the tackles.

     When...  Yes I wrote when the Bucs sign a free agent running back and draft another this off season. Barber will become a victim of the numbers game. There will simply be no room for him on the active roster. The Buccaneers would love to have him on the practice squad, but now that Peyton has some actual game tape. It won't be long before a team plucks him away from the Bucs.

     Russell Hansbrough is another UDFA , bounced up and down from the practice squad to the 53 man roster all year long. He wiggled his way into two games but never logged a carry. I expect a similar role for Hansbrough in 2017.

     Austin Johnson & Quayvon Hicks are two old school fullbacks. If you need two tough yards or a Mike linebacker blocked, these are your guys. If you want to run a jet sweep around the edge leave these two on the bench. Jason Licht has been trying to find someone to fill the traditional fullback role since he became GM. Johnson or Hicks might be that guy.

   

   National Gridiron League- Australia

     

     Blake Sims,  has passed for the second most yards in a single game in the entire history of the University of Alabama. Now he's trying to make a team in the NFL by switching to running back and isn't giving up easily. In less than two years time Sims has tried out for the Packers and the Redskins. Signed with the Toronto Argonauts and the Saskatchewan Roughriders of the CFL. Even went as far as to sign with the Wollongong Devils of the Australian based NGL. (I didn't know that league existed either). Finally returning to the states and landing with the Falcons and now our Buccaneers. Blake has a cool story but that's about it. Sims might not last until the first round of cuts in training camp. Camp body, nothing more.

Free Agents

     Le'Veon Bell is by far and away the number one free agency running back in 2017. The chances that the Pittsburgh Steelers letting him leave town are less than a Mormon winning the lottery. So he's off the table. Searching the next best free agent running backs turn up names like Isaiah Cromwell, Eddie Lacy and Danny Woodhead. Not exactly the whose who of RB1, which the Buccaneers desperately need. 

     Jacquizz Rodgers is the only Free agent running back that makes sense for the Bucs. Including his time in Atlanta, Rodgers has spent four years in Dirk Koetter's offense. He can run with some power and has enough speed to run away from most linebackers and safeties. Rodgers is also above average in picking up the blitz. I don't think he is a long term solution for the Bucs but he is the free agent to hold down the fort until the running back the Buccaneers take in the draft is up to NFL speed.

The 2017 NFL Draft

     Thankfully for the Buccaneers the 2017 NFL Draft is loaded with so much running back talent that a few teams could get NFL caliber starters as late as the 4th round. Since there are so many players that the Bucs could take I contacted a friend to help us out.

     Riley Auman, @junioraumanac an NFL Draft evaluator that really puts in the work and is a big Bucs fan. If I ever have a question about a college prospect, he is the first person I reach out to. Riley was kind enough to let me use his Top 20 Prospect Grades Chart. These are  precombine grades and are subject to change.

Updated look in at my top twenty-five running backs for this upcoming draft.

Stock Up? Marlon Mack.
Stock Down? Donnel Pumphrey pic.twitter.com/tPxKKARiFS

— Riley (@junioraumanac) February 11, 2017

Any of these top 17 players could be lining up in the Bucs backfield next season. Perine, Foreman, Mack and Hunt are my personal favorites.

What I Think Will Happen

     The Bucs will cut bait with Doug Martin. Bring in a 2nd tier free agent vet, Jacquizz Rodgers, to start the season. Buying time for the drafted rookie, 1-17 above, to become acclimated to the nuances of the NFL.

     I would like to thank Greg Auman with his help on the understanding of the Doug Martin contract.

you can also follow us @realbucstalk

Thank You For Reading and as always GO BUCS!

Upgrade Needed At The Tight End Position

by Douglas O'Connor
follow me on Twitter @Ren_Daxt 

     The beginning of the 2016 season was filled with question marks. Will Jameis Winston progress as an NFL quarterback? Can new coordinator Mike Smith make an impact on the defense? How big of role a will the draft picks play? Will the Bucs make the playoffs? I could go on, and on, and on. One question no one had was, what are the Buccaneers going to do at tight end? 

     The Bucs had youth, Cameron Brate, talent, Austin Seferian-Jenkins, experience, Brandon Myers, and leadership, Luke Stocker. If everything had gone as planned the Buccaneers would of been set at tight end for years to come.

     Fast forward to the present and tight end has gone from a position of strength to a position of need. Brate was a welcomed surprise. Racking up 57 catches for 660 yards and 8 touchdowns, but ASJ was just as big of a disappointment. Getting arrested for DUI two weeks into the season was the last straw for the Buccaneer front office and cut the troubled tight end before the home opener. Myers is now a free agent and I don't expect the Bucs to attempt to bring him back, and Stocker, primarily used as a blocker, is the only other of the four under contract.

     The Bucs run a ton of two tight end sets and adding a player(s) that can get open and block on the NFL level will be the off season goal for GM Jason Licht and his staff. The question is who, and where will they look for them?

What The Bucs Have: As of time of posting the Buccaneers have five tight ends on the roster. Three on the 53 man and two future contract players.

    Cameron Brate we all know about. Ivy league UDFA that made the team during the 2014 training camp and quickly built a chemistry with quarterback Jameis Winston while filling in for oft injured ASJ. The early season decision to cut bait with ASJ in 2016 landed Brate squarely in the starting role and he responded with a Pro Bowl type season. Cameron is part of the solution and I don't see any free agency targets that make sense that will oust him from his starting role. However there are two players in the draft, if the Bucs go tight end early, that could challenge Brate during training camp. 

     Luke Stocker is an excellent blocker and is used more as a fullback than a traditional tight end. Stocker contributes next to nothing in the passing game logging only 47 catches during his six years with the Bucs and struggles to get any separation in his routes. Licht has tried to replace Luke by drafting a true fullback, Joey Iosefa, in 2015 and a hybrid TE/FB, Danny Vitale in 2016. Neither one panned out and Luke has been able to keep his job. I expect Stocker to make the 53 man roster next year but to lose his starting job. The Buccaneers have already signed Quayvon Hicks, a fullback from Georgia, that blocked for Todd Gurley and Nick Chubb in college and their is a free agent that I like that would make Luke Stocker obsolete. 

    
     Alan Cross proved to be a better blocker than 6th round draft pick Danny Vitale so he made the team. A UDFA out of Memphis was serviceable when he was in the game for the Bucs but isn't going to be drafted on anyone's fantasy team anytime soon. Cross should make the team in 2017 mostly because of low price tag.

     Future contract players Tevin Westbrook and Kivon Cartwright are both big, athletic, and raw. The Buccaneers like Westbrook whom they have kept on the practice squad for two years now. I think this is a make or break year for Tevin if he doesn't make the 53 man roster this year his days at One Buc maybe over. Cartwright a former Colorado State Ram will be hard pressed to stay with the organization. Westbrook already has two years in Koetter's offense and the 2017 draft is the deepest for tight ends anyone can remember. The deck is stacked against Kivon but Jason Licht did sign him for a reason.

Free Agents: Martellus Bennett is the clear number one tight end in free agency this off season but his age and price tag will probably be to high for the Buccaneers. I like a four year veteran whose path has mirrored the Bucs own Cameron Brate.

     Jack Doyle was UDFA out of the University of Western Kentucky that was picked up by the Indianapolis Colts after he was let go by the Titans. Playing mostly as a blocking tight end for his first three years. Doyle finally got his shot with the departure of Coby Fleener in 2016 and he responded with 59 catches for 584 yards and 5 touchdowns. Playing the run blocking tight end is key in Doyle's evaluation. Look at it this way. Jack Doyle played three years as Luke Stocker, then when given the chance he put up numbers comparable to Cameron Brate. He actually had more receptions and yards than the Colts number one tight end Dwayne Allen with just one less touchdown. Picking up a veteran run blocker that has shown the ability to get open in the red zone and is only 26. That's the type of player I would like to see the Buccaneers make a play for.

The 2017 NFL Draft: This years tight end pool might be the deepest ever. I've seen as many as twenty prospects receiving draftable grades, with three coming from the University of Oregon. I'm only going to write about a few here, the clear number one guy, a small school draft board riser and a late round project.

     O.J. Howard, University of Alabama: Solid, solid run blocker and most think underutilized as a pass catcher in the Crimson Tide's offense. Recently won the best player award at the Senior Bowl and will be the first tight end taken off the board. Projected to be drafted around where the Bucs pick at 19. With the draft being deep at other need positions for the Buccaneers will the lure of the best player on the board be to much for Jason Licht to pass up at 19?

     Gerald Everett, South Alabama: Starting his college career at UAB, then transferring to the Jaguars after Birmingham killed their football program. Everett is gaining buzz and climbing up big boards. Scouts believe that he can be a serious receiving threat in the NFL. I've even read that Everett won't last past the second round.

     Jeremy Sprinkle, Arkansas: Lost behind Hunter Henry last season, Sprinkle put up solid numbers in 2016 and is a an above average receiver and blocker. He could be around in the 6th or 7th round making him a value pick for Jason Licht.

What I Think Will Happen: Without Cameron Brate the Bucs tight end situation might be the worst in the league. Especially with players that can get down the seam for an explosive plays. Jason Licht will address it in free agency and the draft. Don't expect a top tier free agent because the Bucs already have a Pro Bowl caliber starter. The draft could go a number of ways. I wouldn't be surprised if Licht took Howard at 19 but what if WR Corey Davis is still available? Best guess, the Buccaneers will take a tight end by their third pick in this years draft.  

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Thank You for reading and as always Go Bucs!


       

     

   

Bucs Looking For New Fullback?

In the last game of the 2015 season, Bucs fullback Jorvorskie Lane suffered a gruesome leg injury and his days with the Bucs could be over. Lane is an unrestricted free agent and is not expected to be re signed by the Bucs according to Pewterreport.com. The Bucs could look for a veteran free agent, but I think the Bucs should go the rookie route which is cheaper and would be more effective for the long term.

There are couple of fullbacks from this draft class that I like, but I love Georgia fullback Quayvon Hicks. Hicks at 6'2 258lbs, brings power and physicality as he can move defenders back with ease but also displays good hands and ability to run the ball as well. Hicks could be that road grater type fullback similar to Packers fullback John Kuhn, providing power blocking but can be a weapon in short yardage as well. Hicks is projected to be a 7th round pick or undrafted, if he goes undrafted I think he would be a solid addition for the Bucs and could start right away. He has opened holes for Todd Gurley and Nick Chubb, maybe he is doing the same for Doug Martin and Charles Sims next season. Here is a video of him displaying his power and speed when running the football.