So much has been made about how Baker Mayfield and the Tampa Bay Buccaneers played to finish the 2025 NFL regular season, collapsing and missing the playoffs against a totally unremarkable Carolina Panthers team that just might be one of the least impressive teams in NFL history to have won a division.
The national media has obviously taken the opportunity to spotlight Mayfield in a negative light, and it is true that the franchise quarterback did not perform at his highest level for the Tampa Bay offense. But he was also left to die, proverbially speaking, both by his own injuries and the injuries around him on offense.
And no injury impacted him more than the one to star running back Bucky Irving - not Mike Evans's, not Chris Godwin's, and not any of the offensive linemen's absences. Irving missing several weeks right in the middle of the season just when the Bucs were being named Super Bowl contenders was a massive blow, and even when he came back, Irving was clearly not the same after suffering not one but two significant injuries.
Baker Mayfield will benefit from Bucky Irving's return from injury
From rushing for 1,100 yards and double digit touchdowns with well over five yards per carry to barely mustering three per pop, Irving's injury downfall was the biggest storyline around the Tampa Bay Buccaneers that the national media still is not acknowledging - and the biggest reason for signing Kenny Gainwell was not to replace Irving─ but to supplement him as insurance.
New Buccaneers offensive coordinator Zac Robinson knows what he must do to win football games in 2026 as the man in charge of the offense, and he has to unleash Bucky Irving, at full strength, on the rest of the league.
Never before has the adage of the ground game opening up the passing game been more true than in 2026, as Saquon Barkley and Kenneth Walker III can attest these past two seasons for their Super Bowl winning franchises, and it is especially important for a quarterback like Baker Mayfield who thrives on deep shots with his arm talent, chaos, and extending plays.
Mayfield needs the swashbuckling Irving to be at his 1,200 yards bellcow back best in 2026 if he wants to exceed 5,000 yards and reach MVP territory for a full 17-game season. Irving opens up so much of the offense, keeps the linebackers honest, and gets the safeties to bite for those big plays Emeka Egbuka and Jalen McMillan can generate for Tampa Bay. A healthy Irving is even better news for Baker than a contract.
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