Tampa Bay Buccaneers running back Doug Martin isn’t just trying to run towards a new contract as the former first-round pick enters the final year of his contract, after the team declined to pick up his fifth-year option.

He’s trying to prove he can once again be the player he was his rookie year, or even better.

The Bucs moved back into the first round of the 2012 NFL Draft to select Martin 31^st-overall, and his rookie season made the move look brilliant, as he looked like one of the steals of the draft class. Unfortunately for Martin and the Bucs, his numbers in 2013 and 2014 plummeted, so Tampa Bay declined to pick up the fifth-year option that is attached to all first-round draft picks’ contracts.

Since his rookie campaign when Martin ran the ball for 4.6 yards per carry on his way to 1,454 yards and 11 touchdowns, Martin’s productivity has fallen rapidly and dramatically. Injuries caused Martin to miss 10 games in 2013, and five more in 2014, but even when the former Boise State running back was on the field, he looked like a shadow of the player he was in 2012.

In the 17 games Martin has played since 2012, he has averaged just 3.6 yards per carry, and had just three touchdowns while rushing for 950 yards. Martin gained over 500 fewer yards, and scored eight fewer touchdowns in 2013 and 2014 combined, than he did during his rookie season.

The precipitous drop in production is why Martin says he wasn’t surprised when the team didn’t pick up his fifth-year option before the season.

“It didn’t surprise me and it’s – I don’t want to say it’s ‘whatever,’ but it’s something that comes along with the business and if I just do everything in my control, everything else will fall into place,” he told the Tampa media during OTAs.

It’s been evident to anyone who has attended Bucs OTAs minicamps, or training camp, that Martin is not the same player as the one who missed 15 games over the last two seasons.  He showed up to OTAs lighter and leaner, and his burst has been evident throughout practices. He’s finishing runs, and new Buccaneers offensive coordinator Dirk Koetter sees a player who reminds him a lot of the Doug Martin he saw during his rookie year, and at Boise State.

“You have to remember I was in this division when Doug was a rookie. To me, that’s the Doug Martin know,” Koetter told the media before practice.  “Plus, I’m a huge Boise State fan. That’s the Doug Martin I know and he’s been that way since Day 1. One of our coaches said it the other day in a meeting, ‘What Doug did the other night in the game, that’s how Doug has been practicing every day.’ So that was not surprising that he did that. He’s been practicing like that. Doug definitely has a pep in his step and a smile on his face.”

While Martin is determined to prove his rededication is not just about the money, Koetter didn’t hesitate to address the elephant in the room when Doug’s shape and performance were mentioned.

“Contract year. It’s a contract year,” Koetter said with a bit of smile. “Hey, we’ve all been there. It’s a contract year.”

While there probably isn’t anyone who would question that at least some of Martin’s motivation has to be a new deal, head coach Lovie Smith believes it’s his health that has given him an opportunity to get back to being the kind of player the Buccaneers want, and need him to be.

“Of course, you’ve all been here for training camp. First off, he’s healthy,” Lovie reminded the Tampa media while speaking after practice. “You know how much that means to a running back, but he’s worked hard. He’s looked good in training camp practices, but you want to see him do it in a game. There were holes last night, but there were also – there was a wall and he was stopped at the line of scrimmage a couple times and he made something out of nothing a few times. He broke tackles, again, ran hard – just a good game. I wasn’t around when Doug had his breakout year, but that guy we saw last night, that’s what we’re looking for, that’s what we need in order for us to get this running game going.”

Smith brings up a good point. While the Bucs offensive line had their best performance of the preseason against Cincinnati, many of Martin’s yards were picked up after contact, and because of Martin finishing runs.  On his best run of the night, a 30-yard carry which left the Bucs at the 1-yard-line, the play wasn’t blocked well at all. Martin got to the outside with no room, and was quickly stood up by a Cincinnati tackler before breaking free, and breaking at least one more tackle where the gain should have been just a yard or two.

Considering the shape the fourth-year back came to OTA’s in, and after seeing the way he has been finishing carries, Martin was asked if the Bucs not picking up his fifth-year option was wake-up call.

“I wouldn’t say a wake-up call, he said at practice after the Cincinnati victory. “ I’m not going to lie, it’s in the back of my mind but that’s something that you can’t let it creep up to the front because that’s just going to distract me and I’m just going to go out there and do my job and get these Ws.”

It will certainly lead to more “W’s” if Martin can continue to carry the football the way he did on Monday Night Football against the Bengals, but he understands he’s not always going to be able to pick up 30-yard chunks, and he explained after the Cleveland game, the goal is to average 4-yards-per-carry, because those big carries won’t always be there.

“Yeah, you know, you would like to have every play like that, but you know that your every play isn’t going to pop for 20 or 30 or 10 or not even 5 [yards], but you want to average 4 yards-per-carry and that was our goal, but we wanted to start fast this game and that’s the formula,” Martin explained in the locker room after the Bucs 31-7 loss to the Browns.

The expectations for Martin are high, even if tempered by the reality that Martin hasn’t been productive the last two seasons. The difference in the way he looks and the way he’s playing is being noticed by everyone, even his teammates on the defensive side of the ball.

“Doug overall just looks better. The shape he came in for camp was ridiculous,” defensive captain Gerald McCoy said after practice following the Cincinnati victory. “I saw him in the spring. I told Doug ‘Man you are starting to look like your old self.’ Then he showed up to camp in spectacular shape and all camp he has been who we expect Doug to be. It’s starting to come alive in the preseason and I think he is going to have a huge year.”

A huge year is exactly what everyone in Tampa needs out of Martin. If he can continue to break tackles and make more out of runs the way he against Cincinnati, it will be a huge help to a young offensive line that will likely feature two rookies. It will also be a huge help for rookie quarterback Jameis Winston, who will surely be under duress if the running game can’t get going.

Even over the last two seasons when Martin hasn’t been at his best, he’s always been competent if he could get some blocking in front of him. That will once again be the biggest question mark for this offense. Whether or not the horses up front can give Martin, Winston and the Bucs weapons time to operate.

As important as Martin and this running game will be to Winston and his rookie season, it’s clear that regardless of what his motivations are, the is running for a lot more than a new contract in 2015.