Tampa Bay Buccaneers sign LeGarrette Blount

The Tampa Bay Buccaneers have signed backup running back LeGarrette Blount to a one-year deal, according to a tweet from ESPN’s NFC South blogger Pat Yasinskas. Blount will reportedly get $1.75 million after playing in just 9% of the team’s snaps last season, and it will be interesting to see how often the Bucs use him next season.

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I doubt they will use him much in 2013 either, and Blount will most likely get a few touches here and there as a backup to rising star Doug Martin. The former Boise State standout looked sensational last season, and the Bucs have a great feature back in Martin. While Blount cannot do much in pass protection and is a horrendous pass-catcher, he’s a great pure rusher for a backup and should still help the team out.

The Bucs don’t use Blount as much as they seem to value him, as there were once rumors that the Bucs could have even used a first-round tender on the former Oregon Ducks RB. Nobody would have seen that as a legitimate option, though, but I do think the Bucs organization realized that they need to have a capable backup to Martin and cannot leave themselves thin on the depth chart at the position in 2013.

Re-signing Blount was wise, and the Bucs have avoided his restricted free agency with this one-year deal. Blount received just 41 carries last season for a meager average of 3.7 yards per carry, and his usage rate and production both slipped badly in 2012. Blount looked great as a rookie in 2010 eclipsing the 1,000-yard mark, but that seems like ages ago. He might not even get 50 carries for a second straight season.

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