Tampa Bay Buccaneers sign RB Josh Williams

Josh Williams' two-year, $8M signing earns a D Contract Value Index (CVI), a reflection of mid-depth desperation masquerading as calculated depth building. At $4M AAV for a backup running back, this deal lands in the overpay zone—you're paying solid-starter money for a replacement-level contributor, the kind of contract that looks defensible only if Williams steps in as an emergency starter due to injury. The Buccaneers, sitting at 8-9 and clinging to the NFC South's tenth seed with 91 days until the regular season, clearly have positional depth concerns, but this signing doesn't solve a window problem so much as extend a salary line on a depth piece. The real risk isn't just the dollars; it's the cap inflexibility this creates if the team wants to pivot midseason—$4M AAV on a backup is the kind of deal that ages poorly fast, especially if a cheaper undrafted or waiver option surfaces. This transaction reads as a front office trying to address a need without committing premium capital, but the math doesn't favor Tampa Bay: you're either paying for a starter (in which case you should demand starter production) or you're overpaying for depth (which is what's happening here). For a team clawing toward relevance, this is the kind of marginal move that consumes cap room without moving the needle.