Interesting Advanced Data On Kenneth Gainwell
March 17th, 2026
Successful.
Joe thinks it is fair to suggest that new Bucs running back Kenneth Gainwell is a successful runner.
Looking up some running numbers, Joe stumbled upon a pretty neat stat. A good one.
It seems last year, Gainwell was No. 10 in the NFL in percentage of successful runs. Per Pro-Football-Reference.com, a successful run is when a running back gains at least 40 percent of yards needed for a conversion on first down, at least 60 percent of yards needed for a conversion on second down and 100 percent of yards needed to move the chains on third and fourth downs.
Gainwell had a successful run on 55.5 percent of his carries.
That’s a nice little signing the Bucs have there.
Even more interesting is that Rachaad White was No. 14, having a successful run on 53.8 percent of his carries. Joe had no idea White had that many successful runs last season.
Bucky Irving was No. 47, on just 41.6 percent of his carries. This reinforces Joe’s contention that Bucky was not the Bucs’ best back last season. Yes, Joe knows Bucky was hurt.
So let’s go back to Bucky’s rookie season, 2024, when he tore up the league. Bucky was No. 9 in the NFL with a successful run on 55.1 percent of his carries.
So, yeah, Joe thinks the Bucs got a very nice safety net if Bucky gets hurt or struggles this fall.