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Tampa Bay Buccaneers: 3 Bargain targets still available in 2019 NFL free agency

By Russell S. Baxter

BALTIMORE, MARYLAND - DECEMBER 16: Mike Evans #13 of the Tampa Bay Buccaneers runs with the ball after catching a first half pass against the Baltimore Ravens at M&T Bank Stadium on December 16, 2018 in Baltimore, Maryland. (Photo by Rob Carr/Getty Images)
BALTIMORE, MARYLAND - DECEMBER 16: Mike Evans #13 of the Tampa Bay Buccaneers runs with the ball after catching a first half pass against the Baltimore Ravens at M&T Bank Stadium on December 16, 2018 in Baltimore, Maryland. (Photo by Rob Carr/Getty Images) /
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EAST RUTHERFORD, NEW JERSEY – OCTOBER 07: Bilal Powell #29 of the New York Jets runs the ball against the Denver Broncos in the game at MetLife Stadium on October 07, 2018 in East Rutherford, New Jersey. (Photo by Mike Stobe/Getty Images)
EAST RUTHERFORD, NEW JERSEY – OCTOBER 07: Bilal Powell #29 of the New York Jets runs the ball against the Denver Broncos in the game at MetLife Stadium on October 07, 2018 in East Rutherford, New Jersey. (Photo by Mike Stobe/Getty Images) /

3. RB Bilal Powell (New York Jets)

Back in 2015, rejuvenated running back Doug Martin finish second in the NFL in rushing yards behind then-Minnesota’s Vikings’ running back Adrian Peterson. The Tampa Bay Buccaneers ranked fifth in the league that season in yards per game on the ground.

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But it’s been all downhill ever since and, over the past three seasons, the running game has been a major weakness for this team.

That lack of balance has certainly done no favors for whoever was behind center in recent years. Since 2016, the Buccaneers have finished 24th, 27th and 29th, respectively, in the NFL in rushing yards per contest. Promising Peyton Barber amassed more than half (871) of the club’s disappointing 1,523 yards on the ground. The club still has high hopes for 2018 second-round pick Ronald Jones. And the team brought in running back Andre Ellington, who played for Bruce Arians at Arizona.

A fourth-round pick of the New York Jets in 2011, running back Bilal Powell was a very effective performer for the club. In four seasons under Todd Bowles from 2015-18, he racked up a combined 3,206 yards from scrimmage and scored 14 touchdowns.

This past season, though, he saw his year cut short by a neck injury, one that was thought to threaten his career. If fully healthy, it wouldn’t be a surprise to see him join his former head coach in Tampa somewhere down the line.

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