Last season marked Rachaad White's second year with Tampa Bay and his first as the Buccaneers' lead back.
Overall, White was impressive as a dual-threat weapon, rushing for 990 rushing yards, six touchdowns, and 3.6 yards per attempt on 272 carries while catching 64 passes for 549 receiving yards, three touchdowns, and 8.6 yards per catch through the air.
It's worth noting that White was able to notch 1,500+ yards and nine touchdowns from scrimmage behind the Bucs' offensive line, one of the worst in the league last year. Collectively, the Buccaneers averaged a league-worst 88.8 rushing yards per game on 422 attempts, equating to a putrid 3.8 yards per carry mark, also the worst in the NFL.
With the additions of standout rookies Graham Barton and Elijah Klein, along with free agent signings Ben Bredeson, Sua Opeta, and Justin Skule, Tampa Bay's offensive line should be much improved heading into the 2024 season, and will improve White and the Bucs' running game as well.
Although White needed 336 total touches to reach his aforementioned production and Tampa Bay drafted former Oregon running back Bucky Irving in the fourth round of the 2024 draft, White is still adamant he can thrive as the Bucs' RB1, and even help end a streak of Tampa Bay's lackluster rushing attack for several years.
Rachaad White has his sights set on a big number for this upcoming season
"Obviously, my goal is to do whatever I can to help the team win," White said. "We've been last, or 25th to last the past five or six years -- I mean, even with the Super Bowl. When it comes to rushing, Tampa Bay has been down bad. My goal, and what I expect me to do, is turn that around, and that's to be top-10 to top-15, top-12, at the minimum. Obviously, there's not been a 1,000-yard rusher here in, like, what, nine years, and obviously, I was 10 yards short of that last year. So I'm a make sure I'm not nearby short of that this year and go well over that 1,000 yards."
Dating back to 2016, Tampa Bay has ranked 24th, 27th, 29th, 24th, 28th, 26th, 32nd and 32nd in rush yards, showcasing just how large of a struggle it's been to have a consistently good run game in Tampa Bay. With White and Irving both in the fold, their run game could change for the better in 2024, as well as Tampa Bay's overall team success.
"The Bucs have been a slept-on team for years, and we done had our trials and tribulations," White said. "…But times have changed, and now it's time for us to take that next step. Like I said, I won eight games my rookie year, won nine my last year. It's time to take that step to get well over that, and not just barely make the playoffs or barely win the division, win the division how I know we should win the division."
This offseason, both Atlanta and New Orleans upgraded their rosters in major ways, and present challenges for Tampa Bay to repeat as division champions for the fourth straight season. Behind a lethal and balanced rushing attack led by White and Irving, the Bucs may still hold the advantage in the NFC South to win again, even by a comfortable margin.
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