Kenny Gainwell = Bucky Irving
March 19th, 2026
Bucs GM Jason Licht talks about his new running back.
Joe found it unique that the Bucs signed a running back that plays a nearly identical game to that of incumbent No. 1 running back Bucky Irving.
At least that was Joe’s take after watching a bunch of film of running back Kenny Gainwell.
Yesterday at One Buc Palace, Joe asked Buccaneers Ring of Honor general manager about his new, big-money signing Gainwell, the former Steelers standout and Eagles role player and Super Bowl winner.
JoeBucsFan.com: What can you say about the pursuit of Kenny Gainwell? He seems a lot like Bucky Irving, very similar player. Can you talk about that? Usually, teams go after a complementary kind of piece.
Jason Licht: You definitely hit the mark there; he’s very similary. When you watch Kenny, you see [Bucky]; when you watch Bucky, you see Kenny. However you want to say it. He’s a very good special teams player, as well. He’s good in pass protection. He’s very good on third down. And we think this is definitely not somebody we’re looking to replace Bucky with. But when you have, you know, complementary pieces like that, it certainly helps your offense.
Licht added the Bucs talked a lot about Gainwell months before free agency. He also said he recently got a text from one of Gainwell’s former employers who wrote of Gainwell, “He’s a great player and an even better person; one of the best we’ve ever had here.”
Given Licht’s relationship with Eagles GM Howie Roseman, Joe will speculate that’s who sent the text. Gainwell, 27, spent his first four seasons in Philadelphia after being their fifth-round pick in 2021.