The Buccaneers have a lot of quality depth at running back and that should serve them well in 2008.  Earnest Graham finally got a chance to show what he could do when Cadillac Williams went down last season to injury and he looks to have snatched his job.  Graham always seems to have his legs churning and his body moving forward.  He played in 15 games (10 starts) for the Bucs last season and he carried the ball 222 times for 898 yards (4.0 ypc) with 10 TD runs.  He also caught 49 passes for 324 yards (6.6 avg) last year.  Look for Graham to share the load in the running game in 2008 with Warrick Dunn who has been brought back to Tampa as a free agent.  Graham has now played in 56 games (10 starts) in his NFL career and he has carried the ball 274 times for 1,113 yards (4.1 ypc) with 10 TD runs.  He has also caught 50 passes for 328 yards (6.6 avg).

Warrick Dunn might not have much left in the tank based on his play last season in Atlanta.  The Bucs probably aren’t expecting him to be much more than a third down back in 2008 but he could be very effective in that role.  Dunn played in 16 games (15 starts) for the Falcons last season and he carried the ball 227 times for 720 yards (3.2 ypc) with 4 TD runs.  He also caught 37 passes for 238 yards (6.4 avg) for the Falcons.  Dunn has had a real impressive career despite being such a small guy.  Dunn has now played in 166 games (148 starts) in his NFL career and he has carried the ball 2,483 times for 10,181 yards (4.1 ypc) with 47 TD runs.  He has also caught 463 passes for 4,009 yards (8.7 avg) with 15 TD grabs.

Carnell ”Cadillac” Williams just can’t stay healthy.  When he plays, he’s been effective but that hasn’t happened much in his NFL career to this point.  With the emergence of Earnest Graham and the free agent signing of Warrick Dunn it appears that Williams will be the #3 RB on the depth chart when training camp opens.  Williams only played in 4 games (all starts) last season for the Bucs and he carried the ball 54 times for 208 yards (3.9 ypc) with 3 TD runs.  He also  caught 3 passes for 17 yards (5.7 avg) last season.  Don’t look for Williams to add big numbers to his career totals in 2008.  Williams has played in 32 games (all starts) in his NFL career and he has carried the ball 569 times for 2,184 yards (3.8 ypc) with 10 TD runs.  He has also caught 53 passes for 294 yards (5.5 avg) in his NFL career.

Michael Bennett was acquired during the season from the Chiefs but he didn’t get a chance to show much.  Still, he’s no doubt the fastest running back on the Bucs’ roster when he is healthy.  Bennett played in 14 games (1 start) for the Bucs & Chiefs last season and he carried the ball 61 times for 241 yards (4.0 ypc) with 1 TD run.  He also caught 15 passes for 101 yards (6.7 avg) with 1 TD grab.  Bennett would likely need a couple of injuries to get a big role in the offense in 2008 but he still appears to have some tread left on his tires.  Bennett has now played in 89 games (50 starts) in his NFL career and he has carried the ball 810 times for 3,615 yards (4.5 ypc) with 13 TD runs.  He has also caught 150 passes for 1,218 yards (8.1 avg) with 6 TD grabs.

Kenneth Darby was a rookie last season and didn’t get much of a chance to show what he can do last year.  He played in 1 game (0 starts) with the Bucs and he carried the ball 2 times for 9 yards (4.5 ypc).  He also caught 2 passes for 16 yards (8.0 avg).  Darby is likely too far down on the depth chart to make much of an impact in 2008.

PROJECTED GRADE FOR 2008 SEASON:  C+