After the 2024 season and _during_ the 2025 season, Bucs head coach Todd Bowles spoke openly about wanting/needing to get running back Sean Tucker the ball more often.
In limited work last year, Tucker had 8 touchdowns.
Today, however, Bowles said Tucker is in a back-and-forth battle for the No. 3 running back job with second-year man Josh Williams, whose rookie campaign stood out only for his six-game suspension for performance enhancing drugs.
The Bucs’ 53-man roster must be filed with the NFL by 6 p.m. on Sunday.
> “That’s a tough battle. It kind of went back and forth every game,” Bowles said today of the alleged Tucker-Williams war. “Both of them can run the ball. Both of them return kicks, obviously. Both of them try to tackle on kickoff and punt team. … That’ll be a tough call because they’re both good football players.”
Tucker opened last night’s preseason finale with two punishing runs totaling 10 yards. First down, Bucs! Twice, however, he showed questionable pass blocking. Williams finished with 8 carries for a sad 21 yards behind the Bucs’ shaky second- and third-team offensive lines. Neither returned a kick.
Joe understands Tucker is due $3.5 million if he’s on the Week 1 roster, so the Bucs could keep both players on this weekend’s 53-man roster and still have time to squeeze Tucker into taking a pay cut. Joe suspects that’s what is going on and Bowles is on script.
Losing a 24-year-old productive and durable running back seems to be the last thing the Bucs should be doing.