For short yardage I think our best bet would be Adrian Peterson. This is not like last year where we were looking to sign him and give him a bunch of touches per game.
He can get a few goal line touches and on 3rd & short where we really struggled last year. His days of a feature back are over but he can still bulldoze up the gut and fall forward. I know he weighs around the same as Barber but AP runs with more force, the guy is a truck who will fight for those 2-3 yards that you have to get to keep momentum. I'm not looking for him to break huge gains, that is what Jones and Barber are for... I just want AP to play physical and truck a few guys when needed.
This also can save Barber from getting pounded on those short yardage plays, I personally think he can be a legit starter once he settles in more.
I'm usually against signing older guys that are on the brink of retiring, but on a cheap 1 year deal in a specific role I don't see any negative nor risk. Big bruising backs seem to do well in Tampa (Alstott, Blunt). It really gets the crowd rolling as well as the oline, we need some thunder in the backfield again.
AP has a good rap with Jameis and wanted to play for us, he can also show a few things to Barber and Jones who still have a lot to learn when it comes to training and maintaining their body.