TAMPA — Rachaad White, who wears No. 1 for the Bucs, is now their No. 2 running back, having lost the starting job for the final two games of last season to rookie Bucky Irving.On Tuesday, White took second-team reps behind the former Oregon star during voluntary organized team activities.Every NFL team needs multiple running backs, and White had been the primary ballcarrier for most of his three seasons in Tampa. Then Irving arrived last year and slashed his way to 1,122 yards rushing and eight touchdowns while averaging 5.4 yards per attempt. In fact, Irving became the first Bucs running back to go over the 1,000-yard plateau in a season since Doug Martin did it in 2015.But it’s not always bad to be No. 2. Avis still rents a lot of cars. Lyft will give you a ride, too. “Levitating” never rose to No. 1 on the Billboard charts but was still a smash hit for Dua Lipa. So what to make of a White post on Instagram that showed a picture of quarterback Baker Mayfield from the Bucs’ official social account while adding a caption that read, “One last ride?”For starters, White will be an unrestricted free agent in March. Could he be signaling that either he or the team may want to part ways?White, 26, averaged only 3.7 and 3.6 yards per carry his first two seasons, including 272 rushing attempts in 2023, the second-most in the NFL that year.In 2024, running behind a much-improved offensive line, White enjoyed a career-best 4.3 yards per carry. The Bucs' ground game enjoyed a resurgence last season with rookie Bucky Irving, left, joining Rachaad White to dig the team out of the NFL basement when it came to rushing average. [ JEFFEREE WOO | Times ]Bucs coach Todd Bowles was asked Tuesday if he could decipher White’s social post.“I don’t know what that means,” Bowles said. “... ‘Last ride’ for me is kind of like the Magnificent Seven and going into those types of deals. I don’t know what different things mean. I think Rachaad has been here. He’s been great. He plays hard. He practices hard. We’re going to need all three of them.” (Sean Tucker averaged 6.16 yards per carry, though he was used sparingly)White was not available to the media Tuesday and presumably will talk to reporters next week.At best, could his post just be a point of motivation? Players certainly tend to expend maximum effort during a contract year.At worst, White may be signaling he’s having a difficult time not being the featured back.In 2020, running back Leonard Fournette joined the Bucs and believed he would be the main ballcarrier. But Ronald Jones retained the job, falling only 22 yards shy of the 1,000-yard mark. Late in the season, Fournette visibly sulked at practice and head coach Bruce Arians eventually had enough. He made Fournette inactive for a game, then summoned him to his office and asked the former LSU star if he wanted to be released.Stay updated on Tampa Bay’s sports sceneSubscribe to our free Sports Today newsletterWe’ll send you news and analysis on the Bucs, Lightning, Rays and Florida’s college football teams every day.Loading...You’re all signed up!Want more of our free, weekly newsletters in your inbox? Let’s get started.Explore all your optionsAs fate would have it, Jones missed a couple games with COVID-19, then injured himself in warmups before the wild-card game at Washington. Fournette took full advantage of his opportunity and that’s when Playoff Lenny and Lombardi Lenny were born. The Bucs also would like to utilize running back Sean Tucker more. [ JEFFEREE WOO | Times ]White’s role in 2025 will accentuate his skills as a receiver out of the backfield, especially on third down. He’s built for that, with flypaper hands and the ability to be a physical force as a pass protector. “I think he does an unbelievable job as a pass protector,” running backs coach Skip Peete said. “He plays with a little more patience, but he’s a very, very capable and good pass protector. Obviously, he’s very talented when he gets in a pace with the ball. “Now, I think he’s a very good and disciplined route runner and those are areas that I think he really excels at. He’s a good, solid runner as well. But I think we have a guy (Irving) who is a little bit electric that carries the ball now. But I think they both blend together very well.”White has averaged only 41.7 rushing yards per game in his career, but he had five or more catches in six games last season.There’s also the likely emergence of Tucker. When White missed a game at New Orleans due to injury, Tucker rushed 14 times for 136 yards and a touchdown. He also caught three passes for 56 yards and another score. “I haven’t even touched on Sean and he’s probably the guy you’d say gets the short end of the stick, but I think we need him as well,” Peete said. “There’s been games we’ve put him in and everybody has to have an opportunity to play. Sometimes your play count is higher than others, but I think you look at it and take advantage of your opportunity, I think it all kind of works out.”By all accounts, White, Irving and Tucker get along well. They seem to pull for each other. So maybe White is just trying to find some extra motivation.“At the end of the day, if you showcase what you’re capable of doing, you either get paid here or you get paid somewhere else,” Peete said.• • •Sign up for our Sports Today newsletter to get daily updates on the Bucs, Rays, Lightning and college football across Florida.Every weekday, tune into our Sports Day Tampa Bay podcast to hear reporter Rick Stroud break down the biggest stories in Tampa Bay sports.Never miss out on the latest with your favorite Tampa Bay sports teams. Follow our coverage on X and Facebook.