Bucs running game will be better in 2024

It couldn’t be worse.

Considering that the Buccaneers have finished dead last in rushing over the past two seasons, there should be nowhere else to go but up. Between Rachaad White, Sean Tucker, and the 4th-round draft choice from Oregon, Bucky Irving, the competition should be better than it had been in quite a while. I have always viewed White as a natural 3rd down back, but after the 2023 season, Rachaad White has shown that he could be more — although I feel that Tucker and Irving are both better candidates for the lead role. White has the experience over the other two, which may be hard for the younger newcomers to overcome. The best-case scenario, of course, is that the cream will rise to the top. There are other ‘backs in the running back’s room, but I consider them to be more for depth (Patrick Laird, Chase Edmonds) than to compete for any significant playing time.

The competition should be fun to watch.

Sean Tucker was a First-team All-American and owns the Big East single-season rushing record. He arrived in Tampa last season (UDFA) as the most collegiately decorated rookie since Cadillac Williams. In college he was clocked at a 4.33 in the 40 —De’Von Achane-esque speed. In high school, Tucker was timed at a 4.2 in the 40. He missed out on most all the offseason workouts last year due to a previously unknown heart condition that he learned of around the time of the combine. The condition caused teams to back away from the Syracuse Alumni. The Bucs signed him after the draft in the hope that with full offseason workouts, camp, and pre-season under his belt, he will blossom this season. The team let him know that they expect to see some results this time around, and Tucker has said that he is ready for it. Bucky Irving was the every down back out of Oregon. Irving surpassed a thousand yards rushing in each of his last two seasons in Eugene. He is not especially fast (4.55) or flashy. He just gets it done. He reminds me of another not-so-speedy running back, who also ran a 4.55, got it done, and is the leading rusher in NFL History, Mr. Emmitt Smith. Of course, nobody is expecting that kind of player here in Tampa, but the point is that you don’t have to have an impressive 40-time to have success. Elusiveness can be just as deadly as speed with the right feet. So to speak. Irving excels in rushing and receiving, which is something that the Bucs’ Brass is fond of.

O-line improvements.

The Bucs have improved their offensive line to the degree that the group should become a strength in the rushing and passing game in 2024, but that’s another article. Look for the Bucs rushing game to finish much better this season than the last two. Go Bucs!!