Rachaad White defends Buccaneers offensive line against criticism

Among the many bright spots from last year for the Tampa Bay Buccaneers was the elevation of Rachaad White’s game.

He stepped into the role of RB1 as an unproven second-year player, and finished the season being compared to Christian McCaffrey while emerging as one of the league’s best young running backs. It was a thrilling ascension for White and his rise as a dual-threat weapon for the Bucs has put pressure on the team to properly build around him.

Notably, the offensive line has been criticised for two years running, and this offseason has fans calling for the group to get overhauled and rebuilt for the future.

There are some obvious areas for improvement, but White is standing out from the crowd to defend his lineman against an offseason of endless criticism.

Rachaad White defends Buccaneers offensive line: ‘Give these guys time’

Most fans want the team to replace guys like Robert Hainsey and find help on the interior, but White is instead urging patience. While making an appearance on WDAE recently, White stepped up and defended the Bucs offensive line.

“A lot of [fans] don’t look into [situations],” White said. “A lot of guys don’t look into what I say with our team, they want to bash Robert Hainsey or they just want to bash the O-line, bash my guys. But it’s like, ‘Bro, like he played guard and tackle his whole life and my guy [Ryan] Jensen goes down and you say [to Hainsey], ‘Oh, go to center at the highest level.’ [But] he never played center in his life. You know what I’m saying? Give it time. Just give it time. Give these guys time. “

White would know a thing or two about the benefit of folks having patience. He was fine in his rookie season back in 2022 but he didn’t stand out. There were doubts that he’d be able to step into the RB1 role after Leonard Fournette left and he didn’t exactly come bursting out of the gates last season.

After taking some time to settle in, though, we all saw what White did. He went from someone we were all uncertain about to one of the best running backs in football, so it’s not a surprise that he’d preach patience while speaking from experience.

That being said, White excelled in his second year while we didn’t see that sort of improvement out of the same offensive line. Outside of Tristan Wirfs the offensive line was a mixed bag last year and it’s pretty clear the team needs to find a way to address the guard situation in the NFL Draft.

Cody Mauch is probably the closest comparison to White, as he struggled as a rookie last year but could still develop into a stud guard for the Bucs. The same could go for Sua Opeta, who was signed in free agency but is already getting looked at as a potential starter. Hainsey falls firmly into that category as well, someone that White called out by name.

From an outside the Bucs need to find a way to upgrade the offensive line, but hearing someone who works closely with the line — and whose job is directly impacted by its performance — defend the unit is worth listening to.

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