Tampa Bay Buccaneers starting running back Bucky Irving missed a large portion of the 2025 regular season with injuries, but General Manager Jason Licht told reporters at the NFL Scouting Combine that there should be no residual issues for the star man in 2026.
According to 10 Tampa Bay Sports Director Evan Closky, Licht stated that Irving will "definitely" be ready for training camp this year. He did note that it may take Irving a bit of time to hit the ground running at OTAs, but it doesn't sound like there are any major concerns there either, "He will probably be ready at the tail end of OTAs to do some limited stuff."
Licht finished by saying, "all is good". Irving was mostly limited by shoulder issues and taking hits last season, though he did have lower-body injuries, too. He managed to return in Week 13 for a win over the Arizona Cardinals, scoring a rushing touchdown upon his return from a Week 4 injury against the reigning Super Bowl champions, the Philadelphia Eagles.
Bucky Irving won't miss much time this offseason
All told, it was far from a banner year for Irving, who averaged a paltry 3.4 yards per carry with a rushing success rate of just 41.6. Injuries definitely held Irving back, as he was one of the best young feature backs in the NFL in the 2024 season with a rushing success rate a touch above 55 percent, as well as 5.4 yards per carry for a total of 1,122 yards and 8 touchdowns on just 207 carries.
Irivng underwent shoulder surgery soon after the season ended, so Licht stating that he is a slam dunk for training camp is exactly what Tampa Bay Buccaneers fans needed to hear about their starting running back.
Bucky Irving is only 23 years old, so he has many years of top quality football left in him. Offensive line injuries and wide receiver injuries, too, may have played a role in Irving struggling, and it's not like a running game is set up for success when the passing game and the defense behind the offense is struggling as badly as the Bucs units were during the second half of the season when the entire team collapsed.
With Rachaad White set to hit free agency, Irving is going to have even more importance in the 2026 season as a three-down back. The Bucs need him to be 100 percent healthy, so it's great to hear from Licht that there are no concerns.