The Tampa Bay Buccaneers had a hole to fill in their backfield after the departure of running back Rachaad White.
White made his desire to leave Tampa Bay painfully obvious, hinting as early as last offseason that 2025 would be his final season with the Bucs.
Soon to be former #Bucs RB Rachaad White was on Instagram live before answering some comments. He did mention:
— Matt Matera (@matty4_matera) January 22, 2026
“I didn’t leave the Bucs. The Bucs left me.” As he laughed after pic.twitter.com/l0NaDiGPNA
He was unhappy with his role sharing the backfield with Bucky Irving and wanted a bigger share of the workload. He bolted to join the Washington Commanders this offseason, so Tampa Bay pivoted to a free agent, and they might have even found an upgrade.
Kenneth Gainwell is taking Rachaad White’s role, and his jersey number as well
Kenny Gainwell rushed for 537 yards and five touchdowns on 4.7 yards per carry, and caught a whopping 73 passes for 486 yards and three touchdowns for the Steelers last year. He eclipsed 1,000 scrimmage yards on the season and was voted by his teammates as Steelers team MVP.
Kenneth Gainwell spoke to the media about being named Team MVP.
— Pittsburgh Steelers (@steelers) January 2, 2026
He shines as one of the best pass catchers at the running back position, and is also an effective pass blocker. He’ll fill a similar role to White, whose primary role in Tampa was serving as a third-down back who made his impact in the passing game.
Gainwell is not only going to be filling White’s role on offense, but he’s also taking his jersey number. Gainwell has worn No. 14 throughout his NFL career, but that’s of course taken by Chris Godwin Jr..
Gainwell is pivoting to No. 1, last worn by White. It’ll be a familiar look in the Bucs backfield with No. 7 and No. 1 leading the rushing attack.
Tampa Bay Buccaneers RB Kenneth Gainwell (@KENNETHGAINWEL) is wearing number 1. Last assigned to Rachaad White. pic.twitter.com/ka4eCisVkT
— NFL Jersey Numbers (@nfl_jersey_num) May 6, 2026
White was a solid, underappreciated player during his time in Tampa Bay. He did the dirty work and was one of the league’s best pass blockers at the running back position.
Bucs fans have a lot of love for the impact White made, and the organization valued him highly, but when a player is so public about his dissatisfaction with his role and his desire to find a new team, you have no choice but to replace him.
Gainwell is one of the best third-down backs in the NFL, and the Bucs are hoping they get the last laugh and prove to have found an upgrade after white’s decision to move on.
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