The Tampa Bay Buccaneers know their success relies heavily on running the football effectively and establishing play-action football. However, they need running back Bucky Irving, but he is dealing with a shoulder injury that will limit him during early practices.
According to Buccaneers GM Jason Licht, Irving “will be limited during organized team activities but should be ready for training camp.” This is due to a shoulder injury, but there is some concern about it.
Irving has quite some injury history. He missed seven games last season with an injury that was not supposed to be major, but it lingered further than expected. Hence, the team is being cautious to see how Irving evolves.
The Bucs are likely to have a committee
New offensive coordinator Zac Robinson said it will be a committee. “Shoot, one guy might get this amount the next week. They might end up balanced, feeling the hot hand, and we’ll see where it goes.” However, it’s still hard to imagine Irving not getting most of the looks.
Let the hype train on Buccaneers RB Bucky Irving continue. Nice play here, he’s really fun to watch. pic.twitter.com/gBsidxWNI9
— Arye Pulli (@AryePulliNFL) October 22, 2024
After all, Kenneth Gainwell and Sean Tucker are good backs, but Irving has shown potential to be something special. He still racked up 588 yards last season despite missing all that time. He also works in the passing game.
Kenneth Gainwell could be a premium backup though
The Bucs must want to keep Irving healthy, but there is a reason they went and got Gainwell. The former Steeler had a stellar season in Pittsburgh last year, and he did it being in a committee with Jaylen Warren.
Gainwell had his first 1,000-scrimmage-yard season and also got eight touchdowns. He was very productive, and the Bucs saw him as a good fit to share snaps with Irving, or to get more of a workhorse role if Irving’s injuries sideline him longer than expected.
