As preseason camp begins, Tampa Bay Buccaneers running back Jeremy McNichols has nothing to lose.
It is safe to say the Tampa Bay Buccaneers had a very good draft. In addition to addressing the needs they had, they picked up some talent that, had they not been drafted, probably would have gotten overlooked. One of those players was former Boise State Broncos running back Jeremy McNichols.
The 2014 season was his first year at running back for the Broncos and it was a rather quiet one. Carrying the ball 17 times for 159 yards and a touchdown, the modest numbers were just a mere preview for what was to come.
2015 was the year McNichols made a statement. He was, to say the least, effective, rushing the ball 240 times for 1,337 yards and 20 touchdowns. He also showed that he could gain yards in bunches, averaging 5.6 yards per carry. To put it mildly, he made his presence felt in the college football world and set the stage for a tremendous final act.
If 2015 was the year he turned heads in the college football ranks, 2016 was the year he proved that he was here to stay and more than just a flash in the pan. Rushing 314 times for 1,709 yards and 23 touchdowns, the junior showed that he was a running back who had the talent to play at the next level and one that could serve as a catalyst on offense.
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Luckily for McNichols, the Buccaneers came calling (in the fifth round with pick No. 162 to be exact) in April.
Now, he enters the 2017 campaign having to bide time, as is customary for a rookie. Per the most recent Buccaneers depth chart on Our Lads, he enters preseason camp as the No. 4 running back. Ahead of him are Doug Martin, Charles Sims, and Jacquizz Rodgers. With that in mind, McNichols' time may be coming sooner than expected.
There are rumblings that Doug Martin is not what he once was (per Bucs Nation), and he has had a tumultuous past year to say the least. From the perspective of Martin, this may be the biggest year of his career. And as is the nature of the position due in part to health, the title of starting running back is fluid and ever-changing.
There is no doubt that McNichols will have to work to get to the top of the depth chart. Martin will undoubtedly come into the season with a hunger to rejoin the ranks of elite running backs. Sims put together a solid season last year given the sample size, pounding the rock 51 times for 149 yards and a touchdown. Rodgers had a career year last season, rushing for 560 yards and two touchdowns. So to say McNichols may have an uphill battle would be an understatement.
Even still, football is a game of making the most of the opportunities you are given. For McNichols, it will not be a question of if the opportunity will rise, but when.
