Part of the Tampa Bay Buccaneers' offseason overhaul involved parting ways with Leonard Fournette, which has opened the door for Rachaad White to take over as the starting running back.
The Bucs added veteran Chase Edmonds on a low-level deal but didn't dip heavily into the free-agent market. While general manager Jason Licht didn't rule out drafting an RB later this month, he recently told JoeBucsFan.com that he believes White and Ke'Shawn Vaughn can carry the load.
"I think it's a good running back draft; I think that has a little to do with it," Licht said of the slow RB market. "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 is going to be a stud. We really like Ke'Shawn. 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. I'm not saying we're done there, but we like the room that we got now."
White, a third-round pick in 2022, showed flashes as a rookie, generating 481 yards and a touchdown on 129 carries and catching 50 passes for 290 yards and two more scores. More than 75 percent of his yards came in the final eight games -- including a 105-yard performance against Seattle in Week 10 -- as the Bucs gave the rookie more opportunities. White's ability to be an outlet in the passing game should give him a longer leash in Year 2, but inefficiencies at times as a runner (3.73 YPC) are a concern he'll have to silence.
Vaughn hasn't gotten much run in three years with the Bucs, carrying just 79 total times for 342 yards and two TDs and catching 12 passes for 79 yards and a score. Edmonds joins the Bucs after struggling in Miami and Denver last season, looking inefficient as a runner and rarely used in the passing game.
While there are more significant roster concerns in Tampa, Licht certainly could use one of his late-round picks to add another rookie RB to the mix in a deep class at the position.
