Last year, the Tampa Bay Buccaneers saw Rachaad White emerge as one of the best running backs in the NFL. The former third-round pick out of Arizona State was a darling of the fantasy football community, and he eventually became one for Buccaneers fans.
Despite his emergence, general manager Jason Licht decided they needed more punch in their backfield. Thus, the team drafts Bucky Irving in the 2024 NFL Draft in April.
The team and offensive coordinator Liam Coen were expected to replicate the success of the team’s rushing attack in 2023 just during this season. Sadly, they have been chasing those goals and haven’t fully achieved them.
Rachaad White and Bucky Irving are the most talented backfield in the NFL right now, but they aren’t playing like it.
Coen and Licht had this picture of being able to take over games, and it just hasn’t happened. In one game, White will showcase his explosiveness; in the next, Irving will show how powerful a runner he is; they have yet to show these abilities in the same game.
Until they can have a complete game, complimenting each other, this offense cannot take the next step needed to be a serious contender.
