Earnest Graham officially to IR, LS Christian Yount waived, Bucs consider options at RB

It's official: the Tampa Bay Buccaneers have placed RB Earnest Graham on IR after he suffered a torn Achilles tendon against the Chicago Bears. With Legarrette Blount still injured, this leaves the Bucs with exactly one healthy running back: Kregg Lumpkin. And the player in question hasn't exactly looked like a good running back so far. 

That means the Bucs will have to consider their options. They need at least one extra player to run the ball, as they cannot continue to roll with Legarrette Blount and Kregg Lumpkin and no one else. It seems likely they promote Mossis Madu from the practice squad to carry the ball, although Chad Spann could warrant some consideration as well. 

But the Bucs also need to find a replacement on third down. Kregg Lumpkin has looked decent as a pass-catcher but hasn't looked great as a pass-blocker. Meanwhile, the Bucs aren't likely to place the health of their franchise quarterback in the hands of a running back at that position. They could do several different things there: they could use Legarrette Blount more on third downs, they could use Luke Stocker or Demar Dotson more as a pass blocker, or they could move to more empty backfield sets on passing downs. The last option is an intriguing one, as it would also give the Bucs a way to get Arrelious Benn on the field more. 

In addition to all this, the Bucs also waived longsnapper Christian Yount. He had been with the team since preseason to replace Andrew Economos who is recovering from an injured Achilles tendon. The waiving of Yount means Economos is likely close to returning, although the Bucs could use the roster spot during the bye week to evaluate some other players before activating Economos.