Doug Martin quietly has done everything asked of him this offseason, with the Buccaneers hopeful that the running back returns to his form of 2015.
“Well, it’s hard for a running back to not look good when you’re going in shorts and nobody’s playing blocks, nobody’s on the ground,’’ Bucs coach Dirk Koetter said, via Roy Cummings of Florida Football Insiders. “But Doug, he’s definitely in fantastic shape. He does look quick. As we’ve said all along, the main thing with Doug is him being healthy and having his issues behind him.”
Martin has had an up and down career, gaining 1,454 yards and scoring 11 touchdowns as a rookie in 2012 before missing almost as many games as he played the next two seasons. Martin signed a five-year, $35.7 million deal with Tampa Bay a little more than a year ago after another 1,400-yard season.
But injuries and a suspension ruined last season for Martin, who checked himself into a rehab facility. He played in only eight games, rushing for a career-low 421 yards.
Despite speculation that the Bucs would part ways with Martin, he continues to take first-team snaps and look the part of a lead back.