Going into a very critical year, the Tampa Bay Buccaneers simply can’t just pencil in Bucky Irving as RB1 and expect his production to equal that of 2024.
Let’s take a look at the comparison between Irving’s 2024 and 2025 seasons.
2024
- Games Played: 17 games
- Rushing Attempts: 207
- Rushing Yards: 1,122
- Yards Per Carry: 5.4
- Rushing Touchdowns: 8
- Receptions: 47
- Receiving Yards: 392
- Receiving Touchdowns: 0
2025
- Games Played: 10 games
- Rushing Attempts: 173
- Rushing Yards: 588
- Yards Per Carry: 3.4
- Rushing Touchdowns: 1
- Receptions: 30
- Receiving Yards: 277
- Receiving Touchdowns: 3
Sure you can blame the rotating offensive lineman and while that does play a role, there’s more to this if you dig deeper.
Several factors make me very skeptical about the Bucs running game with Bucky as RB1:
1. White Is Pretty Much Gone
Unless a miracle happens, we’ve seen the last of White in a Bucs uniform which is unfortunate. He may not be a RB1 but as a complimentary back, he provided excellent production and was the best back at picking up blitzes on the team. He was also the best pass catcher and they will miss him in these two areas.
2. Bucky’s Durability
Last year he missed 7 games because of various injuries. He recently had off season shoulder surgery and the timetable for his return is up in the air. Bucky is built like Warrick Dunn who benefited from having a battering ram in Mike Alstott to give him a break. Irving is too slight to be counted on to carry the ball 20+ times. At the very least they need to invest in a bigger back who is capable of becoming THE guy if Bucky gets hurt.
3. Mental Health
Beyond the physical injuries last year, he also had to deal with some mental health issues. Nobody knows what the issues were and that’s fine. It’s nobody’s business BUT unfortunately football is still a business. Your best ability is availability. Hopefully these are behind him but the Bucs have to protect their football team. There are 52 other players who are counting on it.
4. New Offensive Coordinator
In 2024 the Bucs under Liam transformed into a very good running team. He was able to emphasize the run game and it improved from near bottom of the league in 2023 to top 10 in 2024. Last year they were unsuccessful. Without a good running game, this offense failed to score in the high 20’s. Now they have a Coordinator in Zac Robinson who had a top tier RB in Atlanta. Maybe he pushes the Bucs to look for a better back in FA?
It’s amazing how a player can go from a budding star to a question mark in one season but that is the reality of life in the NFL.
