Buccaneers may have just found a way to make Bucky Irving even more dangerous

It took one preseason game for Bucky Irving to not only remind Tampa Bay Buccaneers fans how good he is, but also put the rest of the league on notice.

As if he wasn't already dangerous enough, new offensive coordinator Josh Grizzard wasted little time testing Irving out in a variety of different roles on Saturday in Pittsburgh. Bucky came out of the backfield in his traditional running back role, but he was used in the passing game in ways we haven't really seen before.

In fact, his first score of the season came on a dime from quarterback Teddy Bridgewater.

There's a lot to unpack about how well Bridgewater played and connected with different weapons on offense, but it's hard not to gush about Irving first and foremost.

Just take a look at where Irving comes off the line when he scored his touchdown. He was used as a true wideout more than a few times, and it's hardly going to be the last time we see him play that way on offense. It's a terrifying new wrinkle, and one that is already producing fantastic results.

Last season the Bucs used Irving in the passing game but it wasn’t his primary role. He ended up finishing the year with almost 400 receiving yards but all of his scoring production came on the ground. So did a whopping 1,122 yards which is why Rachaad White provides so much value as a dual-threat who can make an impact as a receiver out of the backfield.

What we saw on Saturday against the Steelers was a version of that out of Irving, and it didn’t seem like ther was much of a learning curve involved. This new development in his game is just tremendous, as it not only adds to what he can provide the offense but also means the Bucs could have two dual-threat backs on the field at the same time, with Sean Tucker able to fill more of the traditional running back role.

It’s also worth noting that White suffered a groin injury last week, so watching Irving so naturally fill a role as a pass-catching back means there are layers to the Bucs offensive depth chart that protect the team against falling off a cliff if someone like White is lost for any portion of time.

Beyond all that, Irving was already looking like a rising star in the league and he seems to have already gotten even more dangerous.

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