Is It Too Soon To Give Up On Ke’Shawn Vaughn?
Does Ke’Shawn Vaughn stink or will he just never get an opportunity in Tampa Bay? Who the hell knows. The only thing that is clear is that it might just be time to pull the plug on owning him in long term fantasy leagues. The former Bucs third round pick once again enters the season like a fish out of water. Lost without a real place on the roster.
The former Vanderbilt product got just 26 carries as a rookie. It was a bit alarming that he couldn’t eat into the snap count. Hell, LeSean McCoy was on the roster last year. Ronald Jones and Leonard Fournette are the tag team duo right now but there should still be room for a guy they spent a high pick on.
Then this offseason, Tampa signed Gio Bernard (who is coming off an ugly season with Cincinnati). Vaughn has never been a premier pass catcher but it’s obvious they still don’t trust his hands. Otherwise, Bernard wouldn’t have been signed.
Bruce Arians wasn’t thrilled that Vaughn skipped out on OTA’s. Not a wise decision for someone who needs more snaps, not less. I do think Vaughn has some talent but it’s also fair to question if this is a Tom Brady thing. Brady wants veterans around him that he can trust. Vaughn is still wet behind the ears in terms of experience.
Then again, next year could be the year. Every running back on the roster minus Vaughn is set to hit the open market next year. Now, they could obviously bring people back or look to make additions. It’s just an odd spot for a third round pick when most teams have no problems trusting young running backs.
So what the hell is really going on here? I’m not sure I have an answer. 2021 will be a big year for Ke’Shawn Vaughn and I’m not sure we will learn anything more about him heading into the season.
