The Rachaad White Renaissance Can Unlock Bucs Full Offensive Potential
Credit: Nathan Ray Seebeck-Imagn Images
Two weeks ago, it was so over for Rachaad White. While the third-year running back showed utility in the passing game through Week 3, White couldn’t get anything going on the ground. Taking 31 carries produced just 66 yards, a slow start that saw him cede time to rookie Bucky Irving.
Now Week 5 is in the books, and White is so back. He’s received fewer snaps and touches than he did to start the season, but the back has found a way to make a greater impact. Over the past two weeks, White has 20 carries for 121 yards, adding five receptions for 29 yards to round out his all-purpose total to an even 150.
Not only is this a rebound from Weeks 1 through 3, but White has even surpassed his rookie counterpart in the past two weeks. With a similar amount of carries (19) and touches (22), Irving had a combined 93 rushing yards (111 total) against the Philadelphia Eagles and Atlanta Falcons. In terms of big gains, White’s five plays of 10-plus yards out-paces Irving’s three.
A 56-yard gain for Rachaad White 👀#TBvsATL on Prime Video
Also streaming on #NFLPlus pic.twitter.com/mN2xqKXrwg— NFL (@NFL) October 4, 2024
It’s helpful to compare White to Irving to show that the former is bouncing back, not because playing one of them excludes the other. The two backs are splitting snaps more evenly than to start the season, with a 58%/42% split in Week 4 and 64%/43% on Thursday against Atlanta. Bucs fans are seeing the increased role they wanted for Irving, and Tampa is watching their running back tandem perform like they drew it up in preseason.
The Buccaneers can be disappointed about dropping the overtime game to the Falcons, but they have to be thrilled that their offense has made a comeback. After combining for 27 points in Weeks 2 and 3, Liam Coen’s offense has bounced back along with White. They dropped 33 points against Philly and another 30 points on the road in Atlanta. Now that we’re getting a decent sample size, we can see that through the first quarter-plus of the season, Tampa is averaging 25.4 points, up from 20.5 last season. Their three 30-plus-point games this season already matches their 2023 total.
As great as Baker Mayfield has been slinging the rock, the Bucs have thrived the most when their running game is working. Their three 30-plus-point showings have all seen their running backs accumulate 100-plus yards on the ground. With White holding up his end of the deal, hitting that mark consistently is a lot more feasible than if Irving was carrying the load himself.
Part of White’s renaissance has been due to him thriving after contact more consistently. In Weeks 1 through 3, White only averaged 1.8 yards after contact, which is bad news when you’re encountering contact about 12 inches into every run.
The past two weeks have seen slightly better blocking for White (1.9 yards before contact), and when he does experience contact, he’s powering through. His performances in Weeks 4 and 5 have bumped up his 2024 average to 2.7 yards after contact per rush, which ties him with Kenneth Williams III for the second-highest average of any running back with 20 carries or more.
That skill is going to come in handy, because the Bucs’ run blocking hasn’t been trending much better. While Justin Skule and Tristan Wirfs have been good blockers at the tackles, Ben Bredeson’s 53.3 PFF grade as a run-blocker ranks 82nd of the NFL’s 96 guards. Graham Barton’s 58.0 run-blocking grade is 30th out of 49 centers. A between-the-tackles runner like White is going to see contact, it’s just a fact of life.
But if White continues to fight his way through bodies, he’s a major key to unlocking the full potential of Tampa’s offense. A balanced rushing attack is helping create a balanced offense for the Bucs, and the results over the last two weeks have been fun to see… so long as we’re not looking at the other side of the ball.
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