The Tampa Bay Buccaneers are rumored to be a top destination for one of the best free agents still on the market.
Former Dallas Cowboys running back Ezekiel Elliott remains available after getting released earlier this year and, though the Cowboys haven’t shut the door on a potential reunion, it’s more likely that he plays somewhere else in 2023.
Given that the Bucs opted not to draft a running back this past weekend, ESPN’s Bill Barnwell has tipped them to become Elliott’s next team, while noting that Derrick Henry and Dalvin Cook could possibly become options too.
“I wouldn’t be surprised if the Bucs added a veteran between now and the start of the season,” Barnwell wrote in a winners and losers column pertaining to last month’s Draft. “I’ve mooted a link between Tampa and Ezekiel Elliott, whose skill set would complement White’s and allow the second-year back to play the Tony Pollard role in Tampa. Derrick Henry and Dalvin Cook could also be cut candidates in the months to come.
“With Tampa strapped for cap space and likely to pursue veterans at more expensive positions if they become available, though, [Rachaad] White’s most likely competition for starting time would have been from a draft pick.”
The Cincinnati Bengals, New York Jets, and Philadelphia Eagles were reported to be among teams monitoring the situation with Elliott. The Eagles have since traded for D’Andre Swift, so they’re probably no longer interested.
Where the Bucs are concerned, Zeke could present an enticing piece as a short-yardage RB.
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Rachaad White should be the team’s main back this year while Chase Edmonds and Ke’Shawn Vaughn likely to share the other snaps. But the team doesn’t have an experienced goal-line rusher like Elliot on the roster.
The fact that the Buccaneers hired former Cowboys running backs coach Skip Peete in February could also come into play.
