Who is the top free agent RB target for the Buccaneers?
The Tampa Bay Buccaneers have two soon-to-be free agent running backs in Leonard Fournette and Ronald Jones. They both will most likely not return to Tampa, but I expect the Bucs to prioritize bringing back Jones. Per Sports Illustrated, the Bucs all-purpose Rojo appears to be the RB that the Bucs are more likely to bring back, as well.
If the Bucs lose Playoff Lenny, I expect Arians to be aggressive for a modest RB2. They may not have the GOAT Tom Brady, but they want to retool and not rebuild in Tampa Bay. So, who could the Bucs target at RB in the 2022 free agency? Well, here are a few potential fits.
Alex Collins
The Seattle Seahawks RB Alex Collins is a nice, downhill RB that plays with a similar style of running as Fournette. Collins registered a modest 411 yards in 2021 and he was the lead rusher for Seattle down the stretch last season. Collins quietly knocked out 973 yards in 2017 as a Baltimore Raven. I believe the 27-year-old would be a nice value pickup and complement to “Rojo” for the next few seasons.
James Conner
The Bucs might be looking to strike the gold and pick up the impressive RB James Conner. Conner unleashed 15 rushing touchdowns last season! The former Steelers RB might be intrigued by the possibility of playing in an offense that features Mike Evans and potentially Chris Godwin. Bruce Arians may want to ink a big RB to help the young Kyle Trask in 2022.
We witnessed former Bucs signal-caller Jameis Winston throw the most interceptions in the league, so the Bucs will need to make sure they have a non-Brady plan at QB. Arians may want to improve the running game to help ease the load off the second-year Trask (assuming he starts).
Latavius Murray
The 2021 Baltimore Ravens RB Latavius Murray still has some gas left in his legs. Murray unveiled 501 rushing yards last season while splitting reps with Devonta Freeman and Lamar Jackson. The 32-year-old Murray, who is very familiar with the Bucs (former Saints RB), would be a smart RB to sign if Conner or a younger RB isn’t available. I expect the Ravens to lean on the younger, healthy Gus Edwards and J.K. Dobbins in 2022. The Ravens ought to use resources to ink a free agent WR not named Sammy Watkins to take the field with their All-Pro TE Mark Andrews, as well.
