Following a standout rookie campaign in 2024, where he led the Tampa Bay Buccaneers in rushing, running back Bucky Irving is poised for another strong season. One analyst ranks the Buccaneers’ backfield, led by Irving, among the top five in the league.
Bleacher Report’s Moe Moton recently released his rankings of the NFL’s top backfields, and the Tampa Bay Buccaneers secured the No. 5 spot on his list.
“While the San Francisco 49ers may have to limit Christian McCaffrey’s touches because of his injury history, the Tampa Bay Buccaneers backfield is young and trending up despite losing offensive coordinator Liam Coen.”
“The Buccaneers promoted pass game coordinator Josh Grizzard to offensive coordinator after losing Coen to the Jacksonville Jaguars. He can implement some of the same principles as his predecessor to maintain Tampa Bay’s fourth-ranked rushing attack.”
“Regardless of the play-calling, the Buccaneers have a talented backfield capable of gashing defenses on the ground and forcing linebackers and safeties to cover in the short passing game.”
“In 2024, Irving led all rookies in rushing (1,122) and finished with a team-leading 1,514 scrimmage yards. In three of the last six weeks of the campaign, he rushed for 113-plus yards.”
Moton continued,
“Irving shared the workload with White, who ceded a significant number of touches to his rookie running mate. Still, the versatile tailback eclipsed 1,000 scrimmage yards, averaging a career-high 4.3 yards per carry.”
“While Irving and White led the backfield, Tucker filled in the gaps, accumulating 417 scrimmage yards and scoring three touchdowns.”
“If Grizzard pushes the right buttons with his play-calling, Tampa Bay’s backfield will continue to garner leaguewide respect.”
The top four backfields, according to Moe Moton’s rankings, belong to the Green Bay Packers, Philadelphia Eagles, Baltimore Ravens, and Detroit Lions, all of whom edged out the Buccaneers’ No. 5-ranked unit.
You can read Moton’s full article here!
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