After injuring his right ankle during a training camp practice last August and undergoing surgery, Tampa Bay Buccaneers running back Charles Sims spent the early part of his rookie season on injured reserve/designated to return. He made his regular season debut in Week 10, and did not produce at a high level in eight games played (66 carries for 185 yards and a touchdown along with 19 receptions for 190 yards), but Sims finished on a high note with 18 carries for 69 yards and a touchdown with one catch for six yards against the New Orleans Saints in Week 17.

Tampa Bay’s coaching staff apparently took every opportunity to talk Sims up this offseason, and he seemed likely to become the team’s No. 1 running back with Doug Martin on the trade block. But Martin is back, quite possibly with the blessing of Buccaneers’ offensive coordinator Dirk Koetter, so an equal workload split could be coming when the regular season starts.

Sims is no danger of losing a roster spot, but fellow holdovers Bobby Rainey and Mike James will be joined by undrafted free agent Dominique Brown in the running back mix for Tampa Bay during camp. Brown apparently impressed the Buccaneers’ coaching staff during OTAs in May, but the only back that should see a threat to his roster spot is James.

A training camp battle between Martin and Sims to be Tampa Bay’s lead running back is coming, and being further removed from his ankle issue should benefit Sims greatly. I think Sims is the superior talent overall, but Martin’s experience along with an apparent revival this offseason should be noted and may make him the tentative favorite to start Week 1.

If all things are equal when training camp starts, and both backs stay healthy throughout, I don’t see Martin doing what it takes to win the starting job by clearly outperforming Sims. I expect Sims to do well, and more importantly stay healthy, during training camp and the preseason on his way to earning a prominent role.

Tampa Bay is building a promising group of young offensive talent, led by this year’s No. 1 pick Jameis Winston and wide receiver Mike Evans, and Sims should absolutely be an important part of that equation as soon as possible.

Brad Berreman is a Senior Writer at Rant Sports.com. Follow him on Twitter.