Buccaneers G.M. Jason Licht talks up Rachaad White, Ke’Shawn Vaughn
The Buccaneers haven’t made a major acquisition at running back this offseason, and they quite possibly won’t,
The folks at JoeBucsFan.com asked G.M. Jason Licht last week about the glut of available free-agent running backs. It prompted Licht to praise two of the Tampa Bay holdovers.
“I think it’s a good running back draft,” Licht said regarding the available tailbacks, “I think that has a little to do with it. Just more and more teams — I don’t want to speak on behalf of us — but there’s just more and more teams now that don’t believe in paying running backs. So we really like our group, really like our group.
“We think Rachaad [White] is going to be a stud. We really like Ke’Shawn [Vaughn]. We’ve always liked Ke’Shawn. I know he’s been with us for three years, but he really hasn’t gotten opportunities. When he has, he’s done some good things. And we got Chase [Edmonds signed in free agency]. I’m not saying we’re done there, but we like the room that we got now.”
The Bucs also released veteran Leonard Fournette, who continues to be available.
As a rookie, White had 481 rushing yards in 17 games with eight starts. He also caught 50 passes for 290 yards, and he scored three total touchdowns.
Vaughn enters his fourth NFL season. He has only 101 touches in 37 career games.
Last week, coach Todd Bowles expressed hope that White will become a complete, three-down back in his second season.
With the supply of running backs far outweighing demand, it makes sense to consider drafting one per year, even if only in late rounds. They can contribute on special teams — and if given a chance to play offense, they can potentially become great players.
Buccaneers G.M. Jason Licht talks up Rachaad White, Ke’Shawn Vaughn originally appeared on Pro Football Talk
