Tampa Bay Buccaneers: Expectations for Charles Sims

ByRobert Brewer|

The Tampa Bay Buccaneers selected running back Charles Sims in the third round of the 2014 NFL draft. Initially, the Bucs were expecting Sims to evolve into a reliable third down back that can catch passes out of the backfield. Unfortunately, a broken ankle suffered in training camp delayed Sims’ progress as he played in just eight games during his rookie season.

In limited playing time last year, Sims logged 185 rushing yards and 190 receiving yards. Moving forward, what can Tampa Bay expect from the West Virginia product in his sophomore campaign? I went back and reviewed the coaches film from Sims’ rookie year to find some clues.

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Although it was such a small sample size, my first area of concern was Sims’ paltry 2.8 yards per carry average. The Bucs’ woeful offensive line was certainly part of the problem. At times, I noticed that Sims would be under attack in the backfield before even getting a chance to survey the line of scrimmage.

However, I also noticed that Sims would make his own share of mistakes as well. In my opinion, I thought Sims could have done a better job of minimizing his losses. There were several rushing plays that I thought Sims could have gotten back to the original line of scrimmage, instead these plays went for negative yardage.

Even when Sims made it past the initial line of scrimmage, I noticed he had a tendency to bounce things to the outside rather than to lower his pad level and take the available tough yards. This is where Sims’ upright running style may become a detriment.

Nov 16, 2014; Landover, MD, USA; Tampa Bay Buccaneers running back Charles Sims (34) carries the ball against the Washington Redskins at FedEx Field. Mandatory Credit: Geoff Burke-USA TODAY Sports

Also, I thought Sims did not read some open cutback lanes and missed some golden opportunities for big yardage. The lack of read and recognition skills could be a product of Sims coming from the pistol formation back at West Virginia.

Perhaps some of Sims’ struggles was due to the fact that he didn’t make his season debut until Week 10 against Atlanta. On the positive side, Sims’ instincts and field vision seemed to improve as the year went on. I saw a vast improvement in these areas in Sims’ Week 17 performance against New Orleans verses his first NFL game against the Falcons.

I did see flashes of why Sims was regarded by many as the best receiving threat of any running back in his draft class. While his route running can be improved, Sims is a natural hands catcher and can accelerate up-field very quickly. I felt that Tampa Bay’s poor quarterback play last year prevented Sims from showcasing his run after the catch abilities. Things will certainly be different this year thanks to the presence of new signal caller Jameis Winston.

May 8, 2015; Tampa, FL, USA; Tampa Bay Buccaneers quarterback Jameis Winston (3) works out for rookie mini camp at One Buc Place. Mandatory Credit: Kim Klement-USA TODAY Sports

All told, I don’t think Sims has what it takes to ever become a workhorse back. The Matt Forte comparisons are a bit of a stretch in my estimation. I think the Bucs knew this when they drafted him and envision him as a good backup plan for the oft-injured Doug Martin. In my view, Sims’ production will increase dramatically this year and he will carve out a nice little niche for himself in Tampa Bay’s offense if he can stay healthy.

Next: Tampa Bay Buccaneers: Two sleeper wide receivers?

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