Getty Rachaad White and fellow Bucs veteran running backs will make it tough for Ronnie Brown to stick with the team.
While NFL fans will recognize the name, Tampa Bay Buccaneers running back Ronnie Brown is a longshot to make the team in training camp.
He’s not former Miami Dolphins standout form the 2000s who tallied 5,391 yards and 38 career touchdowns. This Brown, told Glenn Clark Radio this past spring.
“Maybe one time in my life had somebody said ‘was I related to him’ .. but other than that, no. It’s crazy because they just say, ‘Ronnie Brown like that other running back for the Miami Dolphins,'” Brown said on the show. “I’m like, ‘yeah, that’s it”.
Undrafted free agent Brown seems “firmly the last guy in line right now” among Bucs running backs, according to Ryan Heckman of FanSided’s Pewter Plank. Brown, 5-foot-11, signed with the Bucs in May after a stellar Division II collegiate career at Shepherd.
“That said, Brown doesn’t have a great chance of making it too far past training camp or even limited preseason action,” Heckman wrote. “As the sixth running back in line, he’s one who could be cut immediately, should the Bucs make an in-camp signing.”
Bucs Have Plenty of Depth at Running Back Ahead of Ronnie Brown
Tampa Bay’s pecking order at running back starts with Rachaad White, who took over the starting role for Leonard Fournette in eight games last season. The Bucs added Chase Edmonds in free agency, and Ke’Shawn Vaughn is “being more involved than people originally thought”, Heckman wrote.
White tallied 481 yards and a touchdown in his first year, and Edmonds went over 400 yards in 2021 and 2022 before a down year in 2022. Vaughn has been with the Bucs since 2020, but saw a decline in carry.
#Bucs RB Ronnie Brown makes the grab @SURamsFootball
Former Syracuse star Sean Tucker signing as an undrafted free agent with the Bucs also turned some heads. Tucker dealt with a heart condition diagnosis during the NFL Combine, but he got medically cleared to compete in time for training camp.
“Tucker could actually be a sneaky player who could surprise and make this team,” Heckman wrote.
The Bucs also have Patrick Laird again after he spent the 2022 season on the practice squad. Laird has 37 games of regular season experience from a three-year stint with the Miami Dolphins.
Ronnie Brown Faces Uphill Battle
While Brown faces an uphill battle to make the Bucs’ final 53-man roster or practice squad, that kind of struggle is quite familiar. Brown worked toward getting drafted as he participated in the NFLPA Collegiate Bowl — one of several all-star games for NFL scouts to evaluate talent.
“I think the grind is what makes people more happy with life because you grind, and you keep working for something great. It’s not handed to you,” Brown said on Glenn Clark Radio. “The stuff that’s handed to you, people start losing their focus.”
A Baltimore native, Brown tallied 3,041 yards rushing and 1,158 yards receiving for 41 touchdowns overall in four seasons at Shepherd. He also helped the Rams reach back-to-back Division II title games.
“I felt like Shepherd was the greatest opportunity, the best opportunity for me to showcase my ability at a high [Division II school] and to be able to perform at a high level,” Brown said.
Making it to the NFL from Division II happens occasionally — the case for Bucs center Ryan Jensen, for instance. Jensen played at Colorado State Pueblo.