4 players who must step up (again) for Buccaneers in Week 2
By Josh Hill
Rachaad White, RB
Most of the guys on this list are building off strong Week 1 performances and simply need to step up again. Rachaad White needs to stand and deliver for the first time, as the Bucs will need a better job out of the run game against the Bears than what we saw from the unit against Minnesota.
A lot was made this offseason about how much the changes made on offense would help the run game. The Bucs had the worst rushing attack in the entire league last season, so theoretically the only direction to go is up. Schematically Tampa Bay made calculated moves by hiring Dave Canales and Skip Peete. Canales came from a run-heavy offense in Seattle where running backs were collected like rare coins and deployed with outstanding efficiency. Peete came from Dallas, where he turned Ezekiel Elliott and Tony Pollard into one of the best backfield duos in the league -- with Pollard getting developed into an RB1.
That's the cache the run game carried into the season, yet the first game out of the gate featured only 54 yards on 22 carries for the Bucs two main running backs. White, specifically, left a lot to be desired with a 39-yard performance on a whopping 17 carries. To be fair, the Bucs were expected to use a run-heavy approach and ended up leaning heavily on Baker Mayfield and the passing game, but there were opportunities for White and Sean Tucker to make an impact.
Chicago's defense was gashed in Week 1 by the Packers, who rushed for 83 yards on 27 carries between three backs. Aaron Jones finished with 41 yards on just 9 carries and third-stringer Patrick Taylor had 22 yards on just five carries. That's a good sign not only for White but for Tucker as well, who got worked into the mix against Minnesota but figures to be a huge part of the rushing attack as he continues to settle in.
It wasn't the best start to the year for a running back room looking to redeem itself from last season, but a big week against the Bears will go a long way in getting the wheels turning.
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