Rodgers wrapped up the 2016 season with 129 carries for 560 yards and two touchdowns along with 13 receptions (on 16 targets) for 98 yards over 10 games.
The sixth-year pro was the surprise of the Bucs near-playoff season in 2016, especially considering he didn't seem to be on the team's radar heading into the season. After opening his career with four years in Atlanta as a change-of-pace option, Rodgers spent an uneventful 2015 campaign in Chicago, playing in only five games and seeing only 15 total touches from scrimmage. However, his past Falcons tenure with Bucs head coach Dirk Koetter and others on the team's staff bore fruit once both Doug Martin (hamstring) and Charles Sims (knee) were sidelined during the first four weeks of the 2016 season, as Rodgers was thrust into a starter's role that he ended up thriving in. The Oregon State product opened his stint as the top runner with back-to-back 100-yard outings against the Panthers and 49ers, respectively, and was in the midst of another productive afternoon against the Raiders in Week 8 before succumbing to a foot injury that would sideline him for the following four games. Rodgers eventually returned to a starting role for the final two games of the season after Martin departed the team due to a pending PED suspension, totaling 138 yards and a touchdown on 32 carries and three receptions for 19 yards over that span. The expanded opportunity he saw in 2016 helped Rodgers shatter the third-down back label he'd previously been saddled with, as he carried the ball a combined 56 times over Weeks 5 and 7, while seeing double-digit totes in three other contests as well. He thus heads into the offseason as a potential full-time tailback for the first time in his career, and given his favorable track record with the team's coaching staff, diverse skill set, and Martin's uncertain future, he figures to have a strong chance of returning to Tampa on a potential multi-year deal.