Getty Former Bucs head coach and current senior advisor Bruce Arians had running back Darwin Thompson on the practice squad in 2021.
Former Tampa Bay Buccaneers running back Darwin Thompson will look for a new home before the 2023 NFL draft.
Thompson got cut along with four other players by the Seattle Seahawks this week to make room for on the roster for the draft. He previously played for the Bucs in September of the 2021 season, which he spent on the practice squad.
Because of the Bucs’ running back depth, he couldn’t crack the active roster in 2021 behind Leonard Fournette, Ronald Jones II, Ke’Shawn Vaughn, and Giovani Bernard. The Bucs also never had enough injuries at running back to call up Thompson that year, and injuries at wide receiver ultimately led to Thompson’s departure. Tampa Bay released him in January 2022 to sign added receiver John Brown to the practice squad before the Wild Card game.
Thompson’s career began as a sixth-round draft pick by the Kansas City Chiefs in 2019. He spent two seasons on the Chiefs’ active roster, and he won a Super Bowl ring with the Chiefs in the 2019 season.
Kansas City brought him back in January 2022 after the Bucs released him, but he signed with the Seahawks after that season in February 2022. Seattle kept him on the practice squad for the 2022 season, and the Seahawks signed him to a reserve/future contract in January this year.
HURDLE ALERT. Darwin Thompson took flight!
📺: #CHIvsSEA on ESPN
📱: Stream on NFL+ t.co/duqkxIEtbt
In 26 career games, Thompson tallied 225 yards and two touchdowns on 64 carries. He also has 16 receptions for 108 yards and a touchdown in his career. Despite limited regular season snaps, Thompson played in five playoff games for the Chiefs, including the Super Bowl.
A Oklahoma native, Thompson worked his way through the junior college ranks to play at Utah State. He shined in his lone season with the Aggies for 1,044 yards and 14 touchdowns on 153 carries plus 23 receptions for 351 yards and two touchdowns in 2018.
Darwin Thompson Could Fit in With the Bucs Again
In Thompson’s search for a new team, the Bucs could make sense. Recent Seahawks quarterback coach Dave Canales joined the Bucs as the offensive coordinator in February. Canales emphasized running the ball when he arrived, and the Bucs have a need for depth at running back.
Tampa Bay currently has four backs — Rachaad White, Chase Edmonds, Vaughn, and Patrick Laird — on the roster. The Bucs didn’t re-sign Bernard when free agency began, and he remains available the week before the draft. Laird spent last season on the Bucs’ practice squad as the lone running back, but he played 37 regular season games for the Miami Dolphins before he joined the Bucs in 2022.
Rachaad White Seeks to Secure Top RB Spot
Unless the Bucs grab Texas star Bijan Robinson in the draft next week, White looks like the sole favorite to win the starting running back job this fall.
Last season, White started eight games as he rushed for 481 yards and a touchdown on 129 carries in addition to his 50 catches for 290 yards and two touchdowns. The Bucs cut Fournette, the previous starter, after the season.
“For me, it’s a blessing to be able to have an opportunity. For me, I think that’s how I go about things — to be ‘RB 1.’ I wouldn’t say I’m ‘RB 1’ yet — we’ve got a lot of great guys in the room,” White told the media on Monday, April 17. “We’re all going to compete.”
“I like the energy, the good vibes in the room right now [with] Chase — meeting him earlier — plus ‘Sneak’ [Ke’Shawn Vaughn] and Pat [Laird]. It’s a good room,” White added. “I’m pretty proud of that. But being able to compete and things like that — that’s all you can ask for: an opportunity in life.”