The Tampa Bay Buccaneers suffered their first loss of the 2024 season on Sunday against the Denver Broncos. What’s worse, the team looked uncharacteristically bad in the loss, with quarterback Baker Mayfield struggling to get anything going offensively. Mayfield had been one of the top performers at the position heading into the week, but threw for just 163 yards on the day while taking seven sacks in the process.
It wasn’t all bad for the Buccaneers, though. While the stat sheet may not reflect it, Buccaneers’ rookie running back Bucky Irving continued to show that he’s a capable running back in this league – if given the opportunity to shine. Irving had just nine carries on the day for the Buccaneers, but he made the most of the opportunity he was given. Irving took those nine carries and turned them into 70 yards, including a 32-yard burst, for an average of 7.8 yards per carry.
Sunday was Irving’s second game of his young career with an average yards per carry over 5, pairing with his NFL debut against the Washington Commanders where Irving again got nine carries on the day and turned them into 62 yards for an average of 6.9. Sunday also continued the trend of Irving seeing limited action, despite showing promise when he’s been given the ball. Irving’s nine carries on Sunday mark the third straight game where he’s received fewer than 10 carries.
Those fortunes may be changing for the young running back, as he seems to have made an impression on his head coach Todd Bowles. Bowles stated on Monday to the press that Irving will be getting more carries going forward in the Buccaneers offense. Whether that means Irving will be taking over as the team’s primary running back remains to be seen, but it’s an encouraging sign for the rookie running back.
Through three games, Irving has been splitting time with incumbent running back Rachaad White, with White getting the bulk of the carries in each of the team’s first three games. White got 15 carries on the day Sunday, but was only able to turn them into 31 yards. If you take away the 15-yard burst White had, it was 14 carries for 16 yards.
It’s clear that Irving is an explosive back who gives the Buccaneers’ offense an added element. Will he be able to keep that explosive element in his game as he receives an increased workload? If Bowles is to be believed, we’ll find out in the coming weeks.
