The Tampa Bay Buccaneers returned to action on Saturday night, but it didn't take long for a key player to find himself out of the game.
On the second drive of the game for the Buccaneers offense, running back Rachaad White hobbled off the field in obvious pain while grabbing his groin. He instantly laid down on the sideline and started both pointing to and punching the side of his groin, which was the last thing fans wanted to see less than a half into the preseason.
Not long after he left the game, White was officially ruled out after trainers took a look at him in the blue medical tent.
Fans were quick to callout head coach Todd Bowles for even having White out there in the first place, especially since the team had decided to rest all of its starters for the preseason opener. White's role on the team isn't in danger but his time as RB1 appears to be over which is likely why he suited up and saw action.
For those not watching on TV, Rachaad White fell to the ground coming off the field, flat on his back and pointed to his groin.
— JoeBucsFan (@JoeBucsFan) August 9, 2025
Unfortunately, the next question is how long will it be until he sees action again?
Hopefully the main reason he was removed from the game was precaution, but if White misses time then it's going to further complicate a prickly situation at running back.
Buck Irving is the clear-cut starter in the backfield but White still has immense value as a dual-threat sidekick. Sean Tucker is also in the mix as an impact player, and if White misses time during the preseason it could give his teammate a chance to potentially earn an even bigger share of the backfield work.
There's also the matter of White's contract to consider as well. He's entering the final year of his rookie deal and will likely be hitting free agency at the end of the season. The last thing he needs is to miss time with an injury or lose work and potentially take the spotlight away at a time when he should be showcasing his skills.
It's a frustrating situation, but one that hopefully looked worse than it ultimately ends up being. Either way, it wasn't the way anyone wanted to see the Buccaneers preseason begin.
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