The Tampa Bay Buccaneers' offense last season was largely pushed along by a run game that was one of the best in football.
Averaging a crisp 146.5 yards per game with rookie Bucky Irving and Rachaad Wite leading the charge behind a solid offensive line. So it is only natural to think that the Buccaneers will again have a top run game thanks to Irving and White, and it appears that Bleacher Report's Moe Moton thinks so too.
When ranking the top running back duos in football, White and Irving come in at No. 2, with only Detroit Lions duo Jahmyr Gibbs and David Montgomery above them.
"We saw how well Bucky Irving and Rachaad White work together last season. They combined for 2,520 scrimmage yards and 17 touchdowns," Moton writes. "They are a unique duo because they're a proven interchangeable pair on all three downs. They can run between the tackles on early downs, and their catch and receiving yard totals from last year are similar.
"Tampa Bay has maintained some continuity within the offensive coaching ranks, which will bode well for Irving and White's chemistry."
Dec 29, 2024; Tampa, Florida, USA; Tampa Bay Buccaneers running back Bucky Irving (7) carries the ball against the Carolina Panthers during the first quarter at Raymond James Stadium.
Dec 29, 2024; Tampa, Florida, USA; Tampa Bay Buccaneers running back Bucky Irving (7) carries the ball against the Carolina Panthers during the first quarter at Raymond James Stadium.
© Kim Klement Neitzel-Imagn Images
With the natural progression of Irving, plus White is in the final year of his rookie deal and will be looking to put himself in the shop window of teams next offseason, it is easy to project the run game to be top-tier again.
After a 2024 campaign in which both fed off each other well en route to having one of the league's best run games, expect the same again with all five offensive line starters returning.
And if things go well, who knows, maybe this duo takes top spot in the near future.