Buccaneers Add Another Weapon to Offense With Veteran RB Signing

The Tampa Bay Buccaneers added some offensive depth on Monday when they signed former Cincinnati Bengals running back Giovani Bernard to a one-year deal, according to NFL Network reporter Tom Pelissero.

Pelissero added that both Tom Brady and Buccaneers head coach Bruce Arians personally recruited Bernard. That just goes to show how much the team values Bernard's pass-catching abilities.

While running backs Leonard Fournette and Ronald Jones will already be returning to help the team win its second Super Bowl in a row, Bernard gives the team some added depth in the backfield.

Bernard appeared in all 16 games for the Bengals last season, starting in 10 of them as Joe Mixon missed a significant amount of time due to injuries. Valued for his pass-catching abilities, Bernard caught 47 out of 59 targets (career-high 79.7%) and turned that into 355 receiving yards and 3 touchdowns. He was also involved in the actual run game as well, rushing for 416 yards and 3 more touchdowns.

With Fournette and Jones ahead of him on the Buccaneers' depth chart, Bernard won't have to deal with as much pressure as he did with the Bengals. Ideally, Tampa Bay will use him as a change-of-pace back who can handle the passing downs when needed. Jones isn't much of a pass-catcher and, while Fournette is decent at it, Bernard could allow him to rest now and then.

At the end of the day, this is just speculation and Bernard's role on the Buccaneers could change depending on injuries, rest times and everything else between. However, one thing is clear: Tampa Bay values Bernard's talents and it'll be fun to see how he meshes in a Brady-driven offense.

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