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The official line from Tampa Bay Buccaneers head coach Todd Bowles about his team’s running back situation headed into Week 7 is that it could be a “three-headed monster” with Rachaad White, Bucky Irving and Sean Tucker all getting snaps.
In reality, that’s probably 1 running back too many, and according to Bleacher Report it’s White who could be the odd man out — and also a player to watch ahead of the November 5 NFL trade deadline.
From Bleacher Report: “The Buccaneers could go through the season with a three-man backfield that features White, rookie fourth-rounder Bucky Irving and Sean Tucker. Tampa Bay can also dangle White on the trade block and move forward with a tandem … White, who’s in the third year of his rookie deal, could draw interest from suitors looking for a running back with extensive starting experience.”
Tucker threw a wrench into the Buccaneers’ running back plans in the best way possible with a breakout performance in a Week 6 win over the New Orleans Saints with 192 yards of total offense and 2 touchdowns — 136 rushing yards and 56 receiving yards — as the Buccaneers improved to 4-2.
Tampa Bay has another huge game on tap in Week 7 when they host the Baltimore Ravens on Monday Night Football.
“The performance by RB Sean Tucker, who had 136 yards and a TD on 14 carries and another receiving touchdown, means he will join Rachaad White and Bucky Irving more in the backfield,” Tampa Bay Times’ Rick Stroud wrote on his X account on October 14. ” ‘It’s definitely worthy of him making it a three-headed monster,” coach Todd Bowles said of Tucker.”
White Could Be Valuable as Trade Asset
White might still have good value to a team in even more desperate need of a running back than Tampa Bay is and still considers itself to be a playoff contender.
Tampa Bay selected White in third round (No. 91 overall) of the 2022 NFL draft out of Arizona State. He’s in the third year of the 4-year, $5.12 million contract he signed as a rookie.
White started started all 17 games for Tampa Bay in 2023 and put up over 1,500 yards of total offense but has struggled so far in 2024 with just 187 rushing yards through 5 games — all that after Tampa Bay had the NFL’s worst rushing offense in 2023.
The win over the Saints was the first game White has missed due to injury in 3 seasons after he was sidelined with a hamstring injury.
Irving was a fourth-round pick (No. 125 overall) in the 2024 NFL draft who has also shown he could become the Buccaneers’ featured running back eventually.
Tucker Grabs Headlines With Play Against Saints
Tucker made the Buccaneers as an undrafted free agent out of Syracuse in 2023 and rushed for just 23 yards in 11 games as a rookie. Against the Saints, he scored a rushing touchdown and a receiving touchdown.
“Just whatever I got, I wanted to take advantage of it,” Tucker told Rick Stroud of the Tampa Bay Times. “I wasn’t really worried about how many touches I would get. I just wanted to play great out there.”
Tucker is no stranger to being the featured back in an offense. He had 3,801 yards of total offense and 31 total touchdowns in 3 seasons at Syracuse, where he was a 2-time All-ACC selection and an All-American in 2021 after he rushed for 1,496 yards.
I mean that makes sense, I do think White is still a good RB but if they could get a decent return for him, having a backfield of Tucker/Irving isn’t a bad thing. Tucker looks like a starting NFL RB.