LeGarrette Blount Is Atop the Tampa Bay Buccaneers 1st Official Depth Chart

The Tampa Bay Buccaneers have released their first official depth chart for the 2012 season, and while it is still early, the team left us with a few surprises. The biggest eye-opener on the depth chart is the selection of LeGarrette Blount over rookie Doug Martin, because the selection is not going to last long, according to reports.

Tom Krasniqi of WDAE called Martin “clearly the top dog so far,” and for good reason. Martin has taken the majority of the first-team reps in both individual and team drills, while Blount has been inconsistent throughout many of those same drills. 

Martin also happens to be a more of a polished pass-catcher out of the backfield, while also excelling in pass protection, which is something that Blount and the other Buccaneer running backs struggled with last season. 

The competition, however, should be beneficial to Blount. The running back has shown flashes of greatness during his short time in Tampa, and a little competition might light a fire that is begging for some air. 

The one-two punch of Martin and Blount may develop into one of the league's best duos, especially if Martin can be the workhorse that the Bucs expect him to be, while then allowing Blount to wear the defense down toward the end of a game. 

It will certainly be interesting to see how the depth at the running back position plays out for the Bucs over the course of the preseason, but I do expect Doug Martin to eclipse LeGarrette Blount at the start of the regular season.  

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