The Tampa Bay Buccaneers season came to an end in Raymond James Stadium after a thrilling 23-20 wildcard game against the Washington Commanders. Former Oregon Ducks running back Bucky Irving’s remarkable rookie campaign came to a close in a bittersweet fashion. Still, there’s absolutely no denying his impact on the field for the NFC South division champions.
“We thought maybe he would be a second-day pick, but he falls to the third day. I think even talking to him, when Jason [Licht] called him, he had a little bit of a chip on his shoulder, thinking he should have gone earlier. We kind of like that. He's just another right kind of character guy that we've been targeting. He fits that mold." said Buccaneers director of player personnel Mike Biehl after they drafted him this past April.
Bucky Irving’s first #NFLPlayoffs touchdown gives the @Buccaneers the lead!#ProDucks x @BuckyIrving pic.twitter.com/b4nm189afy
— Oregon Football (@oregonfootball) January 13, 2025
The Buccaneers couldn’t have found a better fit.
Per Tampa Bay Buccaneers Communications, Bucky Irving surpassed Warrick Dunn's record for the most single-game rushing yards by a rookie in franchise playoff history. Dunn rushed for 72 yards on December, 28th 1997 against the Detroit Lions. Irving ran for 77 yards on 17 attempts and added a receiving touchdown on two receptions. By the end of the season, Irving hadn’t just clearly become the most dynamic player on the Buccaneers, he’d become one of the best running backs in the NFL.
The Buccaneers averaged 5.25 yards per carry during the 2024 regular season, the third-highest mark in the NFL. The 1.81 yards per carry increase from the 2023 season, 3.44, is the largest year-over-year increase by any team in the Super Bowl era. Offensive line improvement is a big reason why. Offensive coordinator Liam Coen and his ability to scheme single-player matchups is another, but this is largely a Bucky Irving statistic.
Irving finished his rookie season leading all rookies in rushing yards, rushing touchdowns, and all-purpose yards. Irving’s 207 carries for 1,122 yards, 5.4 per carry, eight rushing touchdowns, and 47 receptions for 392 yards totaled 1,514 yards from scrimmage this season. Irving also finished tenth in total rushing yards across the entire league. Considering he only had the 19th most attempts, it speaks to just how efficient he was on his attempts. The advanced statistics support the claim as well, but sort of belies the next point.
Numbers don’t tell the full story for Bucky. His measurables didn't profile the greatest, but there’s no denying the Oregon tape against elite competition. The vision, acceleration, contact balance, and receiving ability were ever apparent. Similar to Detriot Lions safety Brian Branch and Kansas City Chiefs center Creed Humphrey, teams will look back in a few years and wonder how in the world these players weren’t top-40 picks.
Irving’s success as a rookie was not a surprise.
