TAMPA, Fla. (AP) -Zack Crockett has three qualities the Tampa Bay Buccaneers were looking for in a backup running back: versatility, experience and familiarity with coach Jon Gruden’s offense.
The Bucs signed the 13th-year pro on Wednesday, addressing a need for depth after losing Carnell “Cadillac” Williams and Michael Pittman to injury the past two weeks, and are confident they can get him ready to contribute as early as this Sunday against Tennessee.
Crockett, 34, worked out for Gruden last week and is familiar with the coach’s version of the West Coast offense after playing for him in Oakland.
“We’re happy to have him. He’s got to learn a lot of things quick and get reacquainted with what we do here,” Gruden said. “But he’s a NFL veteran player who’s played fullback and halfback and contributed on special teams. He does have some system background here, so we’re going to try to make him a quick study and get him ready to play.”
To make room on the roster, backup quarterback Chris Simms, slow to regain his form after missing most of last season following surgery to remove his spleen, was placed on injured reserve.
The Bucs lost Williams, the 2005 NFL Offensive Rookie of the Year, to a season-ending knee injury two weeks ago. Pittman started last Sunday’s game against Indianapolis, but was carted off during the second quarter with a badly sprained ankle that’s expected to sideline him six to eight weeks.
With Williams and Pittman out, seldom-used fourth-year pro Earnest Graham becomes the starting tailback. Rookie Kenneth Darby, a seventh-round draft pick who began the season on the practice squad, and Crockett will back him up.
“I feel like Earnest Graham is a very good football player,” Gruden said. “Ken Darby’s going to get an opportunity. For a young back, at this stage of his career, it’s a great challenge. Opportunity only knocks so many times, and you’ve got to answer the door.”
Crockett has appeared in 174 games with the Colts, Raiders and Jacksonville Jaguars since entering the league as a third-round draft choice in 1995. He has 61 career starts and has rushed for 1,701 yards and 36 touchdowns.
The 6-foot-2, 240-pounder believes his previous experience with the offense will give him a shot at being ready to face the Titans.
“It’s just getting back and learning the terminology right now,” Crockett said. “It’s good when you come to a system which you have been a part of and been successful in for years. … I feel great about things. I’m excited about it.”
Gruden, who also intends to use Crockett as a backup fullback, is confident he can contribute right away, too.
“We play Sunday, so if he had no background it would have been awfully difficult to get him ready to play,” Gruden said.
“Sometimes you have to account, even though you don’t want to, for the possibility of someone getting ill the night before a game, somebody possibly turning an ankle on Friday or Thursday. There are not a lot of people out there that have the background that this guy has.”
The Bucs also signed running back Lionel Gates to the practice squad and released running back DonTrell Moore. Gates was with the team during training camp, but was released following the preseason.
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