TAMPA- If the off-season couldn’t get any more wild for the Tampa Bay Buccaneers in terms of free-agent pickups, things took another turn at One Buc Place Wednesday night. The Buccaneers became the talk of the night all over social media and for good reason once again.
The Tampa Bay Buccaneers announced the signing of former 2017 first-round pick Leonard Fournette, who played his first three seasons in the National Football League with the Jacksonville Jaguars. Fournette joins a very crowded backfield in Tampa that already includes Ronald Jones, LeSean McCoy, Ke’Shawn Vaughn, and Dare Ogunbowale.
Without a doubt the move helps bolster a backfield that was already loaded with talent, to begin with, but now the Buccaneers must find a way to get the ball around with so many playmakers on the offensive end of the ball. Tampa Bay has made numerous splash signings in hopes of dashing to Super Bowl 55 next year, which will be played at Raymond James Stadium.
The signing of Tom Brady kicked off everything for the Buccaneers, after parting ways with five-year starter Jameis Winston. Brady’s signing was touted to be the first of many moves the organization would make en route to the 2020 campaign and it has. Brady’s old running mate, tight end Rob Gronkowski, signed with the Buccaneers in the off-season. Both have sparked plenty of excitement around the team.
Now with the addition of Fournette to the cast, Tampa Bay head coach Bruce Arians is tasked with finding a way to distribute the ball to all of his talented players. Fournette is coming off his best season rushing yardage wise, as the former LSU star rushed for 1,152 yards for the 6-10 Jaguars. The former Jag has been hampered by injuries in the past and that will be something to watch out for moving forward. Tampa Bay will open the season next Sunday against the New Orleans Saints on the road.
Tampa Bay, like all teams in the NFL, is currently conducting the training camp portion of their off-season leading into their September 14th matchup on the road against the New Orleans Saints and many players have been impressing. The obvious players that have shined are Brady, Gronkowski, Mike Evans, Lavonte David, Devin White but there’s a number of sophomores and rookies that have looked very good, including receiver Scotty Miller.
Andy Villamarzo can be reached at [email protected] and follow him on Twitter @avillamarzo.
