Tampa Bay Buccaneers Rumors: Is trading Doug Martin an option?
By Josh Hill
The Tampa Bay Buccaneers are looking at an 0-3 start to their new regime and that’s something no one was expecting out of Lovie Smith — well, maybe Bears fans were.
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One of the snags in the new regime is that there have been injuries to key players in the lineup that have caused some doubt to creep into the minds of fans wondering if this current roster needs to keep looking the way it does. Most notably, Doug Martin has gone the Cadillac Williams route of not being able to stay healthy.
NFL scribe Charlie Bernstein opines that the Buccaneers may want to consider shopping Doug Martin but they wouldn’t be wise to just accept any old offer for him.
"The real problem with this idea is what the market would bear from Martin. The running back position has been legitimately devalued and look no further than the Bucs own backfield as the undrafted Rainey is performing at a high level. If Martin is worth no more than a fourth- or fifth-round pick, is it really worth giving up on a 25-year-old former Pro Bowler that you have a first-round pick invested in? I don’t believe it is."
Trading Martin makes sense but it’s not something anyone is rushing to do. Not only does Martin still have incredible upside, but he plays a position that has been significantly devalued over the years. With teams like the Ravens, Vikings and Cardinals needing running backs though, it’s not hard to fathom the idea of Martin becoming trade bait coming up as the deadline approaches.
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