The Tampa Bay Buccaneers’ run game has suffered for two seasons now, but could a new running back help change that? Some pundits seem to think so.
CBS Sports proposed 15 different trades for the upcoming NFL trade deadline, and the very first one involved the Bucs. Writer Cody Benjamin proposed a trade that would have the Tennessee Titans send running back Derrick Henry to the Tampa Bay Buccaneers in exchange for Tampa Bay’ third-round pick for 2024.
Here is what CBS Sports said about a potential Derrick Henry trade:
The Buccaneers are feisty this year, but they’re also one of the game’s worst rushing teams, which is a problem when you lean so much on ball-control and defense. The bulldozing Henry is on an expiring deal for a stumbling Titans franchise half-committed to a rebuild, and he might welcome a sunnier change of scenery before a return to the open market in 2024.
It’s true that Tampa Bay’s running backs aren’t exactly working with what they have in the run game, but that’s been a very small part of the problem for the Bucs’ running game. Tampa Bay’s interior line is the major reason why the run game suffers, and it’s unknown if a back like Derrick Henry would really move the needle if that’s the main issue.
On top of that, as Benjamin wrote, Henry is scheduled to become a free agent in 2024. Spending a third-round pick for a half-year rental of Derrick Henry when the Bucs aren’t quite ready to go to the Super Bowl anyway might be ill-advised.
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