Buccaneers RB Looking to Walter Payton for Inspiration

Getty Tampa Bay Buccaneers running back Rachaad White.

There are a lot of little details that come with being an elite NFL running back.

Those little details are exactly what Tampa Bay Buccaneers third-year running back Rachaad White is getting into after having a breakout season in 2023 and trying to turn that into being one of the NFL’s elite all-purpose backs.

White finished 2023 with 1,539 all-purpose yards — 990 rushing and 549 receiving — and 9 touchdowns. That was a huge leap from his rookie year numbers of 771 all-purpose yards and 3 touchdowns.

In his work to try and make the leap to a Pro Bowl or NFL All-Pro type of player, White has studied the greatest all-purpose running back of all time — Chicago Bears legend Walter Payton.

“Right now, I’m not where I want to be in my career yards per carry-wise and things like that — just being an efficient running back,” White said as the Buccaneers opened offseason workouts on Monday. “I think, for me, that’s (what) the biggest next step is, ‘OK, he’s efficient.’ The efficient running backs over the (course) of time — like I said, I study the game a lot — they average at least 4.0-4.1 (yards per carry) and above.

“Guys like Walter Payton. It’s tough, it’s hard. Everybody has had seasons where they average 3.0-something yards per carry due to whatever circumstances. The biggest thing for me is just studying the game, just understanding it and being efficient this year.”

What’s the Next Level for Bucs’ Rachaad White?

It’s interesting — and encouraging — White would study Payton’s film. It’s even more encouraging that White singled out a stat like yards per carry, where just .4 yards could separate a running back from being elite.

Payton averaged 4.4 yards per carry and 9.2 yards per catch across his 13-year career and left the NFL as the career record holder for rushing yards (16,726), touchdowns (110), all-purpose yards (21,264) and rushing attempts (3,838).

White has averaged 3.7 yards per carry and 7.4 yards per catch through two seasons. In 2023, his 65 receptions were more than Payton ever had in a single season and his 549 receiving yards beat all but one of Payton’s seasons.

When White struggled early in 2023 running the ball, he was able to jump-start his season by catching the ball.

“Being able to be out in space, one-on-one matchups with defenders — I pride myself on it,” White said.  “Coach Skip (Peete) has been giving me a lot of (coaching) on if one single guy tackles me. We’ve been talking about that a lot already … It’s fun, for sure, to be out in space and not have a bunch of guys all over you, climbing on you and trying to tackle you.”

Could Buccaneers Add More Running Backs in Draft?

Buccaneers could add a running back in later rounds in the 2024 NFL draft on April 25-27.

The NFL Network’s Ian Rapaport posted on X that the Buccaneers had Texas running back Jonathon Brooks in for a pre-draft visit on April 8. Brooks is the No. 1 running back available in the draft in ESPN’s positional rankings.

Brooks suffered an ACL tear in 2023 but should be ready for training camp.

“Brooks broke out in 2023 after being buried behind Bijan Robinson and Roschon Johnson on the depth chart during his first two seasons at Texas,” wrote ESPN’s Steve Muench. “He runs with great vision, patience and balance between the tackles. He’s quick through the hole and fast enough to rip off long runs when he gets a seam, too. Brooks runs hard and has the contact balance to break tackles. He’s also willing to square up in pass pro, and he’s a great pass-catcher and a threat after the catch.”