TAMPA, Fla. – Back in the offseason, especially after they drafted Charles Sims, the Tampa Bay Buccaneers repeatedly said Doug Martin still was their “bell-cow’’ running back.

It has become apparent throughout the season that’s no longer the case. But, on Wednesday, quarterbacks coach Marcus Arroyo actually came out and said the Bucs don’t have a bell-cow runner, mostly because they don’t need one.

“I don’t think we need to say that,’’ Arroyo said. “There’s no need for that. You’ve got three good ones and you’ve got guys in the third-and-one situation that can carry the flag and you’ve got guys that can carry it in certain situations. That’s a great thing to have. I think a lot of teams wish they had that kind of flexibility. We have some options and they’re all guys we’re really excited about.’’

Martin’s season has been star-crossed. He has been injured and has missed four games, including the last two. Even when healthy, Martin hasn’t been very productive. He has 58 carries for 166 yards for a 2.9 average.

Backup Bobby Rainey has been more productive with 87 carries for 388 yards. Mike James has established himself as the short-yardage back.

Then, there’s Sims, on whom the Bucs used a third-round draft pick. The team has described Sims as an all-purpose running back and it’s obvious they have big plans for him. But Sims missed the first eight games with an ankle injury. He made his debut and had 23 yards on eight carries.

What Arroyo was saying was that the Bucs are going to use a committee approach going forward. That might not be good news for fantasy owners of Tampa Bay’s running backs. But it should be good news for the Bucs.

They have four talented running backs, with four different skill sets, so they might as well use them all.