Getty Derrick Henry (right) star running back and potential Bucs trade candidate
On Monday, Buccaneers coach Todd Bowles told the media that the team had no plans to add another running back to the roster—not yet, at least. With two weeks until the trade deadline, that can and perhaps will change. At CBS Sports, in fact, they’re envisioning a seismic move on the running back market, with a Bucs trade proposal for Derrick Henry, the two-time NFL rushing leader.
That would be a doozy, of course, for a team whose running game is on life support through six weeks of football.
It is likely that the acquisition of Henry would come on a rental basis, as he is slated to be a free agent in 2024, and thus the proposed cost for his services is minimal: a third-round pick.
Here’s how writer Cody Benjamin sees it: “The Buccaneers are feisty this year, but they’re also one of the game’s worst rushing teams, which is a problem when you lean so much on ball-control and defense. The bulldozing Henry is on an expiring deal for a stumbling Titans franchise half-committed to a rebuild, and he might welcome a sunnier change of scenery before a return to the open market in 2024.”
Bucs Trade Proposal for Derrick Henry Would Change NFC
Of all the Bucs trade proposals you’ll see in the coming days, this one certainly is an attention-grabber, one that would thrust the Bucs higher up on the NFC playoff pecking order.
Henry is the best back of his generation, one of just eight rushers in the history of the game to surpass the 2,000-yard mark, which he accomplished in 2020. At 29 years old, he is showing the effects of wear-and-tear, but is still effective, with 425 yards on the ground in six games.
His attempts have been on the wane, and though is 4.3 yards-per-carry average pales when compared to his heyday three years ago, it would be by far the best on the Bucs.
Tampa is averaging 3.0 yards per carry on the season, last in the NFL. The Bucs rank 29th in rushing yardage (394 through five games), and have just one rushing touchdown on their docket. Henry himself has three rushing touchdowns this season, and has had 81 in his 108-game career.
The team’s No. 1 back is Rachaad White, who has 232 yards on 70 attempts this season, an average of 3.3 yards per carry. White ranks 22nd in the NFL in carries, but just 32nd in yardage.
At Pro Football Focus, White actually is fairly well-graded, with a mark of 71.1, which is 22nd among 55 running backs. He is not bad individually, but the Bucs lack depth at the position. A platoon with Henry starting and White behind him would be much, much more productive for Tampa.
Todd Bowles: No Bucs RB Trades Imminent
Of course, Bowles was asked the other day if another running back was in the offing for the Bucs, and he said, “Not at this time, no.”
He also pleaded for patience with the running game, though that rings a bit hollow considering Tampa had the same rushing issues last season.
“It’s going to be a work in progress,” Bowles said. “If we put too much emphasis on it, they’re going to take it away, and we [have] to throw it. So, it’s a lot of cat and mouse things. When you get behind, you have to throw it a little more. We weren’t behind as much, but we were in some tight ball games. It’s going to develop into what we think it will.”
If what he thinks it will develop into is a ground game that can pound opponents with ball control, then he may be right—if he takes heed of the Bucs trade proposal for Derrick Henry, that is.