Report: Former Cowboys Running Backs Coach Joining Buccaneers Staff

The Tampa Bay Buccaneers are continuing to fill out their coaching staff after hiring Dave Canales away from Seattle as Offensive Coordinator last week.

Second-year head coach Todd Bowles isn't wasting time making moves.

Trade Rumors: Could Buccaneers Land Former 1st Round Quarterback?

On Tuesday afternoon, NFL Network's Jane Slater reported that the Buccaneers were bringing in Skip Peete as their next running backs coach. Peete has been a coach in the NFL since 1996 and is coming off a three-year stint with the Dallas Cowboys.

The Arizona native replaces Todd McNair, who was fired by Tampa Bay in January after the team fielded the worst rushing attack in the league in 2022 - only averaging 76.9 yards on the ground per game.

Former #Cowboys RB Coach Skip Peete tells me he is headed to the Tampa Bay Bucs in the same role. Peete notably coached a trio of backs in Ezekiel Elliott, Tony Pollard and Malik Davis who all finished the year without any fumbles and is credited with Pollard’s development.
— Jane Slater (@SlaterNFL) February 21, 2023

Peete coached a trio of standout running backs in Dallas - Ezekiel Elliott, Tony Pollard, and Malik Davis. All three players finished the season without fumbling as the Cowboys averaged 135.2 rushing yards per game - good for ninth in the NFL. Elliott is coming off a disappointing season where he put up career lows in rushing attempts, rushing yards, and average per attempt. With that being said, Pollard had a breakout campaign, recording 193 attempts for 1,007 yards with nine touchdowns while catching 39 passes for 371 yards and three more scores.

Prior to his time with the Cowboys, Peete also coached with the Los Angeles Rams (2016-19), Chicago Bears (2013-14), and Oakland Raiders (1998-2006). He had a previous stint with Dallas from 2007-12. He also earned his stripes at the college level at Pittsburgh, Michigan State, Rutgers, and UCLA.

The Buccaneers have veteran Leonard Fournette, former third-round pick Rachaad White, backup Ke'Shawn Vaughn, and practice squad running back Patrick Laird under contract entering the offseason. Considering the money invested and the failures in the running game last season, it wouldn't necessarily be a surprise to see the team move on from Fournette.

Tampa Bay still has multiple spots on its staff to fill including quarterbacks coach, wide receivers coach, specialists coach, and outside linebackers coach.

Stick with BucsGameday for more coverage of the Tampa Bay Buccaneers throughout the 2023 offseason.

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