Will Buccaneers Give Ke'Shawn Vaughn a Chance to Prove 'Lead Dog' Label?

Buccaneers running Ke'Shawn Vaughn earned the "lead dog" moniker from Bruce Arians after his big game against Carolina. But will he get a chance to prove himself in that role moving forward?

Ronald Jones II was thrust into the spotlight prior to Week 16, set to make the first start of his quiet 2021 season as the Tampa Bay Buccaneers placed starting running back Leonard Fournette on the injured reserve last Thursday.

The light didn't shine on Jones for long, however. He had a solid outing against the Carolina Panthers on Sunday, producing 65 yards and a touchdown on 20 attempts, but nothing special in comparison to his tag-team partner at running back. 

No, instead, it was second-year back Ke'Shawn Vaughn who stole the show, rushing his way to 70 yards and a touchdown on only seven carries, putting the first points of the matchup on the board for Tampa Bay with a 55-yard score in the first quarter.

Head coach Bruce Arians predicted before the 2021 campaign that Vaughn was due for a "breakout year" during his second pro season. That hasn't quite come to fruition, but Vaughn's big run and all-around performance on Sunday was certainly a breakout game for the young running back.

And it resulted in a lot of praise from Arians, who was asked on Monday if he believes Vaughn has upside as a third-down back in the NFL.

"No, I think he's a lead back," Arians claimed. "He has great running skills, excellent jump-cut ability and he's worked on his hands. His hands are better. He dropped [a pass on Sunday] – it pissed him off – but he has worked on his hands hard. I think he's a lead dog."

Vaughn has yet to earn the opportunity to prove he's a "lead dog" in the NFL, though. Vaughn only had 11 carries this season before his seven-carry day against Carolina, the second time he's surpassed five carries in a game in his career after posting 15 for 62 yards against Detroit during his rookie 2020 season.

In his two-year career, Vaughn has compiled just 229 yards and touchdown rushing at 5.2 yards per carry, while catching five passes for 34 yards and a score through the air.

However, the Panthers game was a step in the right direction for Vaughn and he could have more chances to prove his worth over the final two contests of the regular season with Fournette unavailable. Keep in mind, typically third-down back Giovani Bernard is on the injured reserve alongside Fournette for at least one more game.

Although Tampa Bay's long list of injuries isn't ideal as the postseason approaches, Arians is a firm believer that, now that the Buccaneers have a top-4 seed in the playoffs clinched, the more playing time the Bucs' depth can get, the better. That foreshadows more playing time to come for Vaughn.

"I don't think there's any doubt," said Arians, asked if the Buccaneers will be a deeper team in the playoffs with reserves earning meaningful playing time. "As we get guys back, we've built some great depth through the injuries ... Hopefully, knock on wood, we don't lose anybody else."

These next two games will be especially important for Vaughn with the 2022 offseason quickly approaching. He's the only running back on Tampa Bay's roster with years remaining on his contract after this season, so taking advantage of his opportunities in the next few weeks could lead the Buccaneers to entrust Vaughn in a larger role next year rather than paying one of their free agents.

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