One surprise of the 2024 season was the breakout of Tampa Bay Buccaneers running back Bucky Irving. Drafted in the fourth round of the 2024 Draft, Irving quickly established himself as a threat in the NFL, carrying the ball 207 times for 1,122 yards and eight touchdowns.
He also caught 47 passes for 392 yards. Now, going into year two, he’s expected to take his game to another level.
However, Irving isn’t the only productive running back in Tampa Bay. The Bucs also have Rachaad White, he carried the ball 144 times for 613 yards and three touchdowns. With both guys returning for their second season together, they’re undoubtedly one of the best running back duos in the league. Bleacher Report believes they are the second best.
In a recent piece ranking the top-10 running back duos, Moe Moton argued that Irving and White are No. 2, trailing only Jahmyr Gibbs and David Montgomery.
Bucky Irving and Rachaad White ranked as the second-best running back duo in NFL
Diving into both back’s production from last season, Moton expressed that Tampa Bay’s duo is special because the running backs are interchangeable. While most backfields consist of a type of thunder-and-lightning combination, with the lightning option also being the pass-catching back, the Bucs have two guys that can do it all on any down.
"They are a unique duo because they're a proven interchangeable pair on all three downs. They can run between the tackles on early downs, and their catch and receiving yard totals from last year are similar."Moe Moton (Bleacher Report)
If there was a concern for this duo, it’s that Tampa Bay’s offensive coordinator from last season, Liam Coen, is now the head coach of the Jacksonville Jaguars. However, with the Bucs electing to hire internally, elevating Josh Grizzard, Motion believes the continuity will work out well for the talented backfield.
In 2024, the Buccaneers had one of the most productive offenses in the league, finishing in the top five of all the major categories. A big reason why is because the team could run the ball. When the run game is working, it’s much easier to get everything else rolling. Tampa Bay will hope for Bucky Irving and Rachaad White to lead them to the same offensive success in 2025.
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