Buccaneers running back Doug Martin might not be a workhorse for Tampa Bay this season under new offensive coordinator Jeff Tedford, reports the Tampa Bay Times.
Tedford said he believes in alternating running backs, and behind Martin is rookie Charles Sim, Mike James and Bobby Rainey.
"I think you have to alternate," Tedford said Tuesday. "I don’t believe that one back can carry the load. It’s just too physical. I think you probably need to have two to three guys to bring different things to the table. But I think you at least need to have two to be able to spell them here and there and keep them healthy and tat type of thing. That's the goal to try and create some depth right there where there's not a dropoff when one guy comes in and another guy goes out. There's no dropoff. We just keep going."
Martin played in only six games last season before suffering a shoulder injury against Atlanta that eventually landed him on injured reserve. James and Rainey were both productive as replacement backs. Sims, at 6-foot, 214-pounds, is a bigger back who caught more than 200 passes in college.