Gainwell emerging as a ‘dynamic receiving back’

Second-year Buccaneers RB Josh Williams has played extensively, and even ahead of RB Sean Tucker, in the preseason thus far. Coach Todd Bowles has avoided answering questions about Tucker’s status directly, instead saying Williams is playing well and the staff wanted to see Williams play against better defenders early in preseason games. While this might not seem like a big deal, it could be for RB Bucky Irving. Tucker has been discussed as the team’s short-yardage and goal-line specialist this season. He is also set to make the second-highest salary in the backfield this year, yet none of it is guaranteed. Releasing him would save the team cash and potentially free up red zone duties for Irving to reclaim. Keep an eye on this position battle tonight.

The starting offense played two series consisting of eight plays before giving way to the second unit, wherein Irving saw a carry on the first three plays from scrimmage before Gainwell entered the game. Gainwell received his lone carry on the following play, with neither back seeing another opportunity before departing. Previous talk surrounding this backfield hinted at more of a “1A-1B” situation than what was seen in their first preseason action, widening the range of outcomes of Irving in a fantasy setting for the coming season. That leaves potential room for upside considering Irving’s No. 55 overall aggregate ADP across all platforms, particularly considering how much the coaching staff has talked up his receiving chops this offseason. Consider Irving an interesting upside bet in the fifth round.

This quote comes from Irving’s annual youth football camp, which he put on this weekend. The Bucs’ RB1 was still dealing with the effects of offseason shoulder surgery after he played through a shoulder injury last season. He missed some time during OTAs but was able to get on the field in some capacity, and with the pads set to come on in a few days, this is great news for Irving ahead of camp. There has been some talk about the Buccaneers possibly taking a committee approach to its running back room this season after the team added Kenneth Gainwell to the mix and still has Sean Tucker in the mix. Reports out of camp will be worth monitoring as we look to get a sense of how the touch distribution could shape up at the start of the season, but Irving being healthy and putting last season’s injury issues behind him will go a long way in helping his fantasy value this season.

Reports from mid-May indicated that the Buccaneers might use a running back committee, including Gainwell and incumbent RBs Bucky Irving and Sean Tucker. It seems as though a two-player backfield may be taking shape, with Irving slated for 1A duties ahead of Gainwell. Sources tell Pewter Report’s Scott Reynolds that Gainwell “has quickly picked up” OC Zac Robinson’s playbook and is excelling as a receiver out of the backfield. A split backfield could be in play this season.

Organized team activities (OTAs) are conducted without pads, but this is still encouraging. Irving participated in rushing and receiving drills today, at the Buccaneers’ final session before mandatory minicamp begins on June 16th. In mid-May, general manager Jason Licht said Irving would be limited at OTAs, but should be “ready” for training camp in July. Head coach Todd Bowles muddled the return timeline a couple of weeks later, saying Irving was “expected back sometime in summer or fall.” Apparently, that time is now. Hopefully, Irving makes it through today’s session without issue and can continue practicing next week. He remains atop the depth chart, but the coaching staff has noted that RB Kenny Gainwell possesses a similar skill set to Irving, and recently complimented RB Sean Tucker’s short-yardage rushing chops. It looks an awful lot like a committee.

Well, that’s not exactly a fantastic update for the injured running back. Previous reports indicated Irving would not take part in organized team activities but was expected to be a full-go for camp, a timeline that now looks to be in question. The nature of the noncommittal quote from head coach Todd Bowles raises serious concerns for Irving in a fantasy setting, particularly for a team that went out and added another pass-catching, change of pace specialist in Kenneth Gainwell this offseason. Sean Tucker demonstrated a clear knack for short yardage situations in 2025, potentially sending this backfield into a maddening three-headed timeshare come September, with Irving’s lack of practice time potentially earning him a slow start to the regular season. More questions than certainty await early best ball and season-long drafters this May.

Tampa Bay Times’ Rick Stroud describes Irving as “the chair” of what looks to be a running back by committee with Kenneth Gainwell and Sean Tucker. We’ll see what the price range settles in at for Irving, but it’s hard to imagine him as a top-40 pick based on the past week of updates. The story quotes OC Zac Robinson as saying, “Shoot, one guy might get this amount the next week. They might end up balanced, feeling the hot hand, and we’ll see where it goes.”

FOX’s Greg Auman adds that he expects Irving to be “full go” when training camp begins. This probably isn’t overly concerning just yet. It was reported that Irving had offseason shoulder surgery after playing through the issue late last year. If Irving’s absence continues to drag on as the team gets to training camp, the Kenneth Gainwell train will begin to gain steam again in 2026.

Gainwell and Irving “can kind of match each other in certain ways with what they can do in the pass game,” Robinson said during a Tuesday press conference. Robinson praised Gainwell’s veteran leadership and professionalism and said he was a key addition to the Tampa offense this offseason after he caught 73 passes for 486 yards and three touchdowns with the Steelers in 2025. Only three running backs — Christian McCaffrey, Jahmyr Gibbs, and Bijan Robinson — had more receptions than Gainwell last season. Irving has been a highly efficient pass catcher during his time with the Bucs. Last year he ranked second in yards after the catch per reception and fifth among backs in yards per catch. While Irving is widely expected to be the team’s nominal lead back, Gainwell could be relevant in PPR leagues this year.

Rachaad White is a free agent and the Bucs chose not to tender Sean Tucker, a restricted free agent, so the team entered free agency without a backup to Bucky Irving. Gainwell will take on that role and a $14 million contract suggests he could earn more than just backup duties. After catching 73 passes for 486 yards and three scores in 2025, Gainwell would be a natural replacement for White’s role as the team’s primary option on passing downs. Bucky Irving should still be in line for the bulk of the carries, but Gainwell could take the PPR floor out from under him.