The rushing attack of the Tampa Bay Buccaneers has been a weak point of the offense dating back a few seasons now. Through five games in 2024, they rank 26th in rushing yards at 91 yards a game and have seen a disappointing start from presumptive lead back Rachaad White. But rookie running back Bucky Irving has been off to a fiery hot start in his opportunities.
Averaging 5.8 yards a carry through his first five career games, Irving has become a fan favorite, with some even calling for him to overtake White’s role as the lead back. His explosive runs have brought energy to the team when they’ve needed it and he has the only score between the two of the team’s backs.
Although it’s been encouraging to see such an explosive start from a rookie RB, the team knows what they have in Rachaad White and he’s proven that he’s more than just a ball carrier. White is one of the league’s premier receivers from the RB position and can pass protect in third down & key situations.
While it’s no doubt White is a swiss army knife as far as running backs go, his struggles to run behind this offensive line so far in 2024 is concerning. He doesn’t seem to have many open rushing lanes when he gets attempts and when he does they aren’t usually trusted. White finally busted open on a 56-yard run on Thursday Night in Atlanta, on a misdirection fake to Bucky Irving & handoff going to Rachaad up the right side of the field.
The struggles of the rushing attack have been an emphasis throughout the past offseason and can’t all fall back onto the running back position. Lanes haven’t been fully opened for backs and improvements can be made. Through only five games with offensive coordinator Liam Coen, the thought of how much the offense can grow as a whole is inspiring.
Bucky Irving’s solid start to his career can’t be taken with a grain of salt though. His 5.6 yards per carry has been much needed by this Tampa Bay offense and felt early on. Highlighted by a career-long 32-yard run, he’s had a multitude of long rushes and they’ve brought high-energy to the team.
So what should we expect in the future?
To say the Bucs have a solid foundation in the running back room is an understatement. Rachaad White is 24-years old in his third NFL season, while Bucky Irving is 22 in his rookie campaign. They both show flashes of greatness in their own way and it’s exciting to think about how OC Liam Coen will be to transform the play calling we see out of this offense.
We should continue to expect an even dose of each back, both in terms of rushing attempts and snap count. In Thursday Night’s Atlanta matchup, White had ten carries and Irving saw nine.
It was late in the game, when the Bucs, up 30-27, were attempting to run the clock out in efforts to secure the win. With 2:53 on the clock, Irving had the ball punched out by Falcon’s Jessie Bates III. A play that didn’t decide the game, but was a key factor in the comeback win Atlanta pulled off.
It shouldn’t weigh too heavily on the young back, as he doesn’t have a history riddled with fumbling the football and it will be a mistake he learns from. But it showed a big amount of trust in the rookie to have him carry the ball in that situation. Keeping that play in mind throughout the rest of the season, it should be expected to see Rachaad White get the ball in those close-out-the-game type situations, as he’s only fumbled three times in his NFL career despite seeing plenty of touches.
Overall, the Bucs’ offense has a good problem on their hands moving forward. Two, young backs who only seem to be getting better, in an offense with a new coordinator, great receivers and a guy looking like he’s the franchise QB. Both White and Irving will have plays schemed up so that they’re able to do what they do best.
Having them both on the field is proving to be dynamic and has kept the defenses guessing. Using Irving in motion so early in the season will only set defenses up for more confusion later on in the season, and with both of them seemingly being such great receivers, it should be expected to see them contribute catching the ball as well.
It shouldn’t be considered a bad thing that this team has multiple capable players at one position. Injuries happen and depth is needed, the way they’ve used both of them simultaneously has to continue to be implemented. But even RB Sean Tucker has looked like he has what it takes for the job if anything ever happened to the two guys ahead of him on the depth chart, with his strong efforts returning kicks.
The rushing attack of the Tampa Bay Buccaneers has been a weak point of the offense dating back a few seasons now. Through five games in 2024, they rank 26th in rushing yards at 91 yards a game and have seen a disappointing start from presumptive lead back Rachaad White. But rookie running back Bucky Irving has been off to a fiery hot start in his opportunities.
Averaging 5.8 yards a carry through his first five career games, Irving has become a fan favorite, with some even calling for him to overtake White’s role as the lead back. His explosive runs have brought energy to the team when they’ve needed it and he has the only score between the two of the team’s backs.
Although it’s been encouraging to see such an explosive start from a rookie RB, the team knows what they have in Rachaad White and he’s proven that he’s more than just a ball carrier. White is one of the league’s premier receivers from the RB position and can pass protect in third down & key situations.
While it’s no doubt White is a swiss army knife as far as running backs go, his struggles to run behind this offensive line so far in 2024 is concerning. He doesn’t seem to have many open rushing lanes when he gets attempts and when he does they aren’t usually trusted. White finally busted open on a 56-yard run on Thursday Night in Atlanta, on a misdirection fake to Bucky Irving & handoff going to Rachaad up the right side of the field.
The struggles of the rushing attack have been an emphasis throughout the past offseason and can’t all fall back onto the running back position. Lanes haven’t been fully opened for backs and improvements can be made. Through only five games with offensive coordinator Liam Coen, the thought of how much the offense can grow as a whole is inspiring.
Bucky Irving’s solid start to his career can’t be taken with a grain of salt though. His 5.6 yards per carry has been much needed by this Tampa Bay offense and felt early on. Highlighted by a career-long 32-yard run, he’s had a multitude of long rushes and they’ve brought high-energy to the team.
So what should we expect in the future?
To say the Bucs have a solid foundation in the running back room is an understatement. Rachaad White is 24-years old in his third NFL season, while Bucky Irving is 22 in his rookie campaign. They both show flashes of greatness in their own way and it’s exciting to think about how OC Liam Coen will be to transform the play calling we see out of this offense.
We should continue to expect an even dose of each back, both in terms of rushing attempts and snap count. In Thursday Night’s Atlanta matchup, White had ten carries and Irving saw nine.
It was late in the game, when the Bucs, up 30-27, were attempting to run the clock out in efforts to secure the win. With 2:53 on the clock, Irving had the ball punched out by Falcon’s Jessie Bates III. A play that didn’t decide the game, but was a key factor in the comeback win Atlanta pulled off.
It shouldn’t weigh too heavily on the young back, as he doesn’t have a history riddled with fumbling the football and it will be a mistake he learns from. But it showed a big amount of trust in the rookie to have him carry the ball in that situation. Keeping that play in mind throughout the rest of the season, it should be expected to see Rachaad White get the ball in those close-out-the-game type situations, as he’s only fumbled three times in his NFL career despite seeing plenty of touches.
Overall, the Bucs’ offense has a good problem on their hands moving forward. Two, young backs who only seem to be getting better, in an offense with a new coordinator, great receivers and a guy looking like he’s the franchise QB. Both White and Irving will have plays schemed up so that they’re able to do what they do best.
Having them both on the field is proving to be dynamic and has kept the defenses guessing. Using Irving in motion so early in the season will only set defenses up for more confusion later on in the season, and with both of them seemingly being such great receivers, it should be expected to see them contribute catching the ball as well.
It shouldn’t be considered a bad thing that this team has multiple capable players at one position. Injuries happen and depth is needed, the way they’ve used both of them simultaneously has to continue to be implemented. But even RB Sean Tucker has looked like he has what it takes for the job if anything ever happened to the two guys ahead of him on the depth chart, with his strong efforts returning kicks.
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