Perhaps no veteran player has done more to improve his standing during offseason workouts than Tampa Bay Buccaneers running back Doug Martin.
A clear cut candidate after struggling last year and being suspended at the end of the season for violating the NFL's drug policy, Martin has earned nothing but praise this offseason after he spent time in rehab.
NFL Network's Mike Garafolo spoke to Bucs general manager Jason Licht as the team closed minicamp on Thursday. The assessment of Martin's on-field improvement was glowing.
"I had a conversation with [Licht]. He said, '[Martin] looks lean, he looks like he's finishing his runs -- obviously, there is no contact in the spring -- but it looks like he's finishing his runs. He looks like he's got that burst. He looks like he's got that burst. He looks like the Doug Martin of 2015,'" Garafolo said Thursday on NFL Network's Inside Minicamp Live.
In 2015, Martin finished with 1,673 total yards and seven touchdowns and was the #4 fantasy running back in PPR formats. He has seemingly returned from the dead. He was mentioned as a cut candidate early this year, but now it sounds like the team is expecting him to return to form in 2017. He's suspended for the first three games of the season, and Jacquizz Rodgers is likely to start in his place for that span. In regular redraft formats, it's an intriguing strategy for owners to draft both Martin and Rodgers to serve as RB2 by committee (in a WR-heavy strategy).
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