Buccaneers' Doug Martin: 'Stepping away' from Bucs

Martin is "stepping away from the team to take care of personal issues," Ian Rapoport of NFL Network reports.

Analysis:

On both a professional and now a personal level, Martin has turned in an undesirable season rife with ineffectiveness on the ground. Some of the lack of success may be the result of a hamstring injury that forced six absences earlier in the campaign. However, his surprise DNP on Saturday wasn't the result of an injury, so something else in his life was to blame for the downgrade. While neither the Bucs nor Martin is obligated to touch on the nature of his "personal issues," the running back is an unlikely candidate to be jettisoned due to the five-year, $35.75 million deal he inked in the offseason. In the meantime, the backfield will be powered by Jacquizz Rodgers in Week 17 due to Charles Sims' (pectoral) placement on injured reserve Wednesday.