TAMPA, Fla. -- The accolades for running back Doug Martin when he was a member of the Tampa Bay Buccaneers were numerous and well-documented -- two Pro Bowls, the third-most yards from scrimmage as a rookie in NFL history and the second-most rushing yards in the league in 2015. But even they couldn't justify keeping the former first-round draft pick around. Not on a $7 million salary, not after averaging just 2.9 yards per carry the past two seasons and not with all that baggage.
So after posting a 27th-ranked rushing attack in 2017 and 30th-ranked if you go back to the past two seasons, and Martin's failure to post 100 yards in the past 25 games, the Bucs had to make the cut.