Bobby Rainey to Giants: Latest Contract Details, Comments and Reaction

Crowded out of the Tampa Bay Buccaneers backfield, Bobby Rainey found a new home with the New York Giants, the team announced on Monday.

The veteran running back announced on Sunday he would sign with the Giants:

Rainey posted relatively strong numbers in 2013 and 2014, rushing for 938 yards and six touchdowns on 231 carries for Tampa Bay. Not coincidentally, Doug Martin was also slowed by injuries in each of those two years, playing a combined 17 games during that stretch.

Martin was healthy in 2015, which meant Rainey's production cratered. He carried the ball just five times last year for 18 yards. He also caught three passes for 16 yards. Charles Sims also supplanted Rainey as the No. 2 option in the backfield. Sims finished second on the team in rushing yards (529) and averaged 4.9 yards per carry.

Buccaneers head coach Dirk Koetter previously confirmed he plans to keep the backfield hierarchy largely the same in his first season at the helm, per CBS Sports' Jamey Eisenberg:

Koetter all but eliminated the idea that Rainey would be an option in the return game, where he did give the Bucs some value in 2015, per the Tampa Bay Times' Rick Stroud:

Considering all of that, Rainey's departure from the Buccaneers merits little surprise. They recently signed Martin to a new five-year extension, and Sims is under contract through the 2017 season. Although Rainey's price tag isn't high, Tampa Bay wasn't in desperate need to add depth at running back.

He should have a bigger role in the Giants offense. While the Western Kentucky alumnus won't unseat Rashad Jennings, Rainey does give New York an alternative to Andre Williams, who averaged only 2.9 yards per carry last year and has struggled to find consistency since the team selected him in the fourth round of the 2014 draft.

Rainey averaged 4.1 yards per carry in his 40 games with the Buccaneers, which is a healthy figure for a backup running back. Especially at this stage of the offseason, general manager Jerry Reese couldn't have expected to strike gold on the free-agent market.

Plus, he's avoiding the potential headache of scrambling to find a replacement for Jennings in the middle of the regular season. Jennings missed five games in 2014 and 22 combined games between 2011 and 2012. His going down with an injury is a distinct possibility in 2016.

So long as Rainey isn't pressed into heavy action, his versatility in the running, passing and return game should make him a valuable member of the Giants in a limited capacity.