Inexpensive and Effective – JoeBucsFan.com
Inexpensive and effective
June 8, 2022
A different look at the Bucs running backs
It’s hard to complain about the Buccaneers’ running game in 2021, largely because the Bucs ranked second in the NFL in yards per game. And they are one of the lowest paid running backs in the NFL.
This was a discussion on SiriusXM NFL Radio yesterday.
In the NFC South, the Bucs rank 24th in the NFL in running back cash flow. Atlanta ranks 19th, while the Saints (10th) and Panthers (8th) are among the most expensive RB corps in the NFL.
Co-host Pat Kirwan, the Jets’ former defensive coach and chief of staff, noted how much more the Bucs can lean on Leonard Fournette. Kirwin says Fournette had six drops and the team can make the most of his innate explosiveness.
Interestingly, Kirwan thinks the Bucs can only get 30 more runs from Fournette without overworking him. He recorded 193 throughout the 2021 regular season and playoffs. That would still leave perhaps over 150 litters for Ke’Shawn Vaughn, rookie Rachaad White and Giovani Bernard. And after watching White at minicamp today, Joe certainly expects the third-round pick to make the team.
So how good are Bucs running backs together with Ronald Jones now in Kansas City? It’s a huge unknown and it could be an X factor.
The good news is that the Bucs don’t need a special — and expensive — running game to keep their offense humming.
