The Buccaneers know that Doug Martin won’t be with them for the first three games of the regular season, but he will be back in the building next week.
According to Ian Rapoport of the NFL Network, the veteran running back is expected to join his teammates when the Bucs begin offseason workouts next week.
The Bucs have been steadfastly noncommittal about Martin, saying they’re in no rush to make a decision. That’s partly because his suspension for violating the league’s policy on performance-enhancing substances voided the guarantees in his contract, making it easier for them to part ways if they wanted to.
But there seems to be some degree of confidence that an offseason stint in a rehab facility will help, and that he might return to form. They tried to quash talk of interest in Adrian Peterson, but they haven’t made any other significant moves in the backfield, leaving the door open for a guy who was a Pro Bowler not that long ago.