Buccaneers' Doug Martin: Team remains noncommittal about future
The Bucs remain noncommittal about Martin's (suspension) future with the team, Jenna Laine of ESPN.com reports. "Who knows what's going to happen?" head coach Dirk Koetter said to reporters at the NFL owners meetings in Phoenix on Wednesday. "Are we going to add a running back in the draft? Is Doug going to continue down the path of good health? And we have other guys we like at the position, too. I don't know what's going to happen, as I sit here today."
Analysis:
As has been reported previously, Martin's suspension frees the Bucs from having to pay him $7 million in guarantees, making his release completely conceivable if the team felt that it could adequately replace him and/or if they remained unconvinced that he had fully overcome the issues that led to his four-game ban. The former Pro Bowler will be eligible to participate in OTAs, minicamps, training camp, and all preseason games but would have to then sit out the first three games of the regular season to complete the suspension. There are some intriguing possibilities available to fill Martin's shoes, as marquee names Adrian Peterson and Jamaal Charles remain on the free-agent market for the time being. The Bucs also re-signed Jacquizz Rodgers to a two-year contract on March 9 and have Charles Sims (pectoral) returning for his fourth season. Meanwhile, Tampa could certainly opt to take a running back with their 19th pick in the first round, a selection that could possibly net them names like Leonard Fournette, Dalvin Cook, or Christian McCaffrey. If Martin does remain on the team into the summer, Koetter will be faced with the dilemma of how much playing time to afford him knowing he won't be available for the first three games of the season. "I'm a Doug Martin fan, we would love to have Doug on our team. But when a guy's been a Pro Bowl running back, you know you're not gonna have him for the first three games of the year, how do you do the reps?" Koetter asked. "It's almost like he'd be on PUP for coming back for Game 4, but we don't know what we're gonna do Weeks 1-3 yet."