Rachaad

White

Fox Sports’ Greg Auman said it was hard to say if White was a full participant. That he was practicing at all after leaving Sunday’s game with a groin issue is a good sign he’ll suit up in Week 3 against the Broncos. Bucky Irvin would see an increased role against Denver if White is limited or sidelined in Week 3.

White suffered the groin injury in the first quarter and briefly left the game. He returned a few plays later and still managed to lead the team in rush attempts at 10. White has been dreadfully inefficient again this year, averaging just under two yards per carry on 25 attempts. The groin injury could give head coach Todd Bowles another reason to get rookie running back Bucky Irving more involved. White is a volume-based RB2 heading into his Week 3 matchup with Denver.

White briefly left the game in the first quarter with a groin injury, but only missed a few plays. He still managed to lead the Bucs in carries, though he was out-gained by Bucky Irving and even Baker Mayfield. White was only targeted once in the passing game. It was a quiet afternoon for the former third round pick. White will need to get more receiving work to remain viable with Irving breathing down his neck in the backfield. He remains the starting back going into a plus matchup against the Broncos at home in Week 3.

As good as White looked as a receiver was about as poor as he looked as a runner. The 25-year-old seemed unable to make defenders miss at the line of scrimmage and displayed some questionable decision-making on where to hit the holes. However, he was tremendous as a receiver and was a preferred outlet for Baker Mayfield. His playing time is likely secure because of that receiving upside, but if he continues to struggle on the ground, his fantasy value will take a major hit.

The Buccaneers added Bucky Irving in this year’s draft, giving Rachaad White more backfield competition. Irving had 186 carries for 1,180 yards and 11 touchdowns for the Oregon Ducks last season, adding 56 receptions for 413 yards and two touchdowns. He was an efficient rusher, but his receiving skillset adds the most for the Bucs in 2024. White had 70 targets last season, adding a large boost to his fantasy value. It seems White will continue his workload heading into the season, but a “hot hand” approach could lead to Irving seeing a larger role. White is a high-end RB2 while Irving is a valuable handcuff and could see his own FLEX value.

Irving was the first Buccaneers’ running back off the bench but failed to log a first-team snap. He will be forced to earn that role in-season. Irving concludes the preseason averaging 0.17 missed tackles forced per rushing attempt and 3.2 yards after contact per rushing attempt. His 0.19 yards per route run average is entirely unthreatening to starter Rachaad White.

The coaching staff appears unbothered by White’s continued rushing inefficiency. He averaged 4.0 yards per rushing attempt this preseason and logged 100.0 percent of first-team snaps against the Dolphins.

“The nice thing I like about Bucky is he gets to his top speeds early,” Coen began. “Like, when he accepts the handoff, he bursts and accelerates through the hole and can make people miss in space.” It would seem Coen isn’t too concerned about Irving’s 4.55 40 time. The 5-foot-9 big-play back is looking like a classic change-of-pace option as a rookie, catching a few passes and hopefully contributing a few big runs. He is the definitely the contingency option behind inefficient starter Rachaad White.

Irving (5’9/192) is a junior who started his college career at Minnesota. After a 699-yard, four-touchdown freshman season, he transferred to Oregon, where he tallied back-to-back seasons of over 1,000 yards rushing on over six yards per carry. Irving’s pass-catching was also a nice complement to Bo Nix in the Ducks’ offense, totaling 413 receiving yards on 56 receptions last season. He didn’t test well at the combine, running a 4.55 40-yard dash - a slower time than expected for a back of his size. While Irving has the college production, his physical testing has decreased his draft stock. Irving profiles as a receiving back without the physical traits to get three-down work in the NFL. He will serve as a versatile backup to Rachaad White as a rookie.

White did a lot with a little against Detroit. He shed tacklers and got extra yards on most of his nine rushing attempts and trotted into the end zone on a well designed red zone screen pass in the third quarter. White established himself as the runaway RB1 in the Tampa offense this season: Only Derrick Henry had more rushing attempts and only five running backs had more targets than White in 2023. His 3.6 yards per carry left a lot to be desired. It could be enough for the Bucs to bring in backfield competition via free agency or through the NFL Draft. It’s exceedingly unlikely White sees this much touch volume in 2024. The Bucs finished the regular season with the lowest rushing success rate in the NFL.