Tampa Bay Buccaneers running back Doug Martin (22) against the Arizona Cardinals during the second half at Raymond James Stadium. Arizona Cardinals defeated the Tampa Bay Buccaneers 13-10. Mandatory Credit: Kim Klement-USA TODAY Sports
Tampa Bay Buccaneers star running back Doug Martin played in just six games last season after his season was cut short by a torn labrum, and it was one of several incredibly disappointing developments for the Buccaneers last season. The future looks incredibly bright for the Bucs with Jason Licht and Lovie Smith at the helm, and their aggressive offseason has certainly generated plenty of excitement going into the 2014 season. There’s also plenty of reason to be excited about the Buccaneers ground game, which features workhorse back Doug Martin, as well as promising second-year pro Mike James. Heck, even Bobby Rainey produced last season after James also went down with an injury.
Martin was always expected to be cleared in time for OTAs, and he had plenty of good things to say about his progression from his torn labrum. Big things are expected to come for Martin in his third season in the league, and he could very well match the 1,454 rushing yards and 49 receptions that he put up in his killer 2012 season as a rookie out of Boise State.
He recently tweeted out that he has been medically cleared from his torn labrum, which is excellent news, even if it was always expected. Not only did Martin add that he is obviously “excited” to return to the field, but we could also discern plenty of happiness from all the exclamation marks in his tweet. Even with Josh McCown now in the fold, the Buccaneers are very much a running team with an all-purpose, workhorse back like Doug Martin leading the way.