It feels like the same could've been said more than once prior to this point, but 2023 is going to need to be a huge season for young Tampa Bay Buccaneers running back Ke'Shawn Vaughn.

Vaughn was up against it from the start of his time in Tampa. From being in a running back room behind Leonard Fournette and Ronald Jones to getting lofty comparisons to Alvin Kamara in his college tape, the expectations where never going to meet the actual product on the field.

Vaughn has struggled to do much of anything through his first three years with the Bucs, and if something doesn't change very soon, Vaughn may even make some sense as a cut in training camp when it's all said and done.

Even for a team like the Buccaneers that seems to have a curse with young running backs, Vaughn's production relative to where he was drafted has been downright bad.

421 total yards and three touchdowns leaves a mountain to be desired from a guy that was drafted far ahead of his projections in the third round.

That running back class ended up being very weak outside of the first few guys off the board, but even that isn't enough to excuse reaching as much as the Bucs did.

Now, after flashing once or twice, Vaughn still failing to carve out a role in a backfield that is open from a competition standpoint would be the true kiss of death for his Buccaneer career.

Rachaad White looks like he should have the RB1 job locked up, but no one is above getting beaten in camp. Outside of White, the second job is anyone's to win, and Vaughn essentially has no other option if he wants to remain with this team beyond this season.

The flashes are clearly there on tape and in the physical grades, but so far, Vaughn has played closer to a late Day Three pick rather than a third-rounder.

2023 is going to do a lot to define the future for a number of young Buccaneers players. Ke'Shawn Vaughn is on the hot seat, and he will need to ball out in the preseason and in an expanded role in the regular season if he wants to have a future in pewter and red.