A Pre-Draft Look At The Buccaneers Running Back Room

From reality to potential, the Buccaneers are strong.

Last season’s 4th-round selection of Bucky Irving turned out to be a brilliant move by GM Jason Licht. Irving led all rookie running backs in yardage in 2024 and finished in the top ten overall. Of course, the top three rushers for the Bucs in 2024 are Irving, White, and Mayfield. Those three accumulated just over 2,000 rushing yards combined.

Sean Tucker still has something to add to this group as well. His full potential hasn’t been scratched. Last season in Week 6 (Saints), Tucker was fed the ball 14 times on the ground to the tune of 136 yards (9.7-yard average) and ran up 56 yards on 3 receptions (18.7-yard average) through the air, scoring 2 touchdowns in the game. The 14 carries were a season-high, as his next busiest game garnered only 8 attempts. Unfortunately for Tucker, playing behind Irving and White affords a small workload. Tucker’s place on the team is clearly defined as a depth role. Having that kind of talent and potential in your third option makes Tucker an ace in the hole and gives the team a great option if Irving or White are injured. The Bucs might just have the top 3 backs combination in the league. Rachaad White is tough as nails as the veteran of the three talented Bucs backs. Never say die. And his in-your-face running and receiving skills cannot be discounted.

Game Day Philosophy

Once again, the Bucs lost their O.C. after only one season to a head coaching job. Josh Grizzard, the passing game coordinator, was promoted to the O.C. position after Liam Coen slithered off to Jaguar Country.

The success of the Bucs running game in 2025 will be limited only by the play-calling fortunes of Grizzard. The death of the running back position has been greatly exaggerated in today’s NFL. The Eagles showed what a great running game can do for the passing game last season. It is understood that only one team has the great Saquon Barkley, but you don’t have to have the best back in the league to make an impact. The Bucs will probably never be a team that uses a heavy dose of runs to get where they are going. When you have a gunslinger like Mayfield behind center, who can blame them? Still, there is room to expand the rushing game in Tampa. How heavy the rush is relied on will come down to Josh Grizzard. What I know is this: with the talent that the Bucs have at the position, opening up the run a bit more cannot hurt this team. Mayfield and the passing game can only benefit from it in 2025. Go Bucs!!