One of the key goals for the 2024 Buccaneers existed in the rushing department.
Simply: Be better than the league-worst attack was in 2023. With this in mind, the Bucs spent a fourth-round pick on Oregon running back Bucky Irving, hoping to pair him with returning lead back Rachaad White in an attempt to inject life into the group.
Through three weeks, Irving might already be the better option -- even if coach Todd Bowles is resistant to the idea. Irving leads the Buccaneers (2-1) with 154 rushing yards, and is the only rookie with 100-plus rushing yards in 2024, averaging a top-four mark of 6.2 yards per carry. White, meanwhile, is averaging just 2.1 yards per carry on 31 attempts for a total of 66 yards.
"As far as the running game is going, everybody has got to do their job from coaches to players, receivers, tight ends, offensive line, running backs," Bowles explained during his Wednesday news conference. "At the same time, we're going to need Bucky and Rachaad all year. Bucky has some scheme runs that worked and Rachaad had some that didn't. That doesn't mean he is playing better -- that means we couldn't get the [holes] open when we had Rachaad back there.
"We're going to use them both all year. How they play and how much they play will change every game, so it's going to be no different."
Bowles' theory is perfectly acceptable, especially in the small sample size that is a three-game stretch. But if this trend continues over six games or so, he'll have a tougher time defending his stance.
Those who'd like to turn to advanced metrics to dive deeper into this won't find undeniable proof of Irving's superiority, because he's essentially doing his job as expected, gaining just four yards over his expected rushing yardage total through three games. They will, however, find some unsavory evidence for the case made against White, who has fallen 46 yards short of his expected rushing total.
Even worse, their influence on the game is already pretty significantly different: Irving owns a rushing expected points added of 3.7 -- good for eighth-best in the NFL among running backs with at least 20 carries in 2024 -- while White stands at -11.
Simply, Irving has been the more productive and efficient back. It's fair to wonder when he might take over the lead role in what is clearly a tandem backfield. But because it is a tandem, it might not ultimately matter all that much -- at least, not until Irving ends up receiving the lion's share of carries.
One thing to monitor leading up to Sunday's game against the Eagles, however, is that Irving currently is dealing with a hamstring injury that limited him on Wednesday and forced him to sit out of Thursday's practice.
