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Bears linked to Buccaneers running back in projected preseason trade

Originally posted on Chicago Bears on SI | By Bryan Perez | Last updated Aug 21, 2025 10:35 PM ET

Tampa Bay Buccaneers running back Bucky Irving became an overnight sensation in 2024. The Day-3 rookie ran for 1,122 yards and eight touchdowns, putting one-time starter Rachaad White's outlook with the team in doubt.

White will begin the 2025 NFL season on an expiring contract. It's highly unlikely the team will invest second-contract money into the former Arizona State standout, despite a 2023 season in which he ran for 990 yards and six scores.

As a result, the Bucs could decide the best return they can get on the third-round pick they spent on White would be a trade, and the Chicago Bears could make a sensible dance partner.

D'Andre Swift is locked in as Chicago's starter... for now. There's no realistic competition on the Bears' depth chart that can challenge him. Sure, Bears fans are super high on rookie Kyle Monangai, but we're a long ways from the seventh-round pick being a threat to Swift's touches.

So, yeah, Chicago could use another back. And White has a do-it-all skill set that would certainly appeal to Ben Johnson.

In fact, a Bears' trade for White makes so much sense that it was highlighted in a recent breakdown of one projected trade for every team as the 2025 preseason comes to a close.

"While White has fallen out of favor with the Bucs due to the emergence of Bucky Irving, he is one of the NFL's top pass-catching backs and should still have plenty left to offer as he gears up for his fourth season," Bleacher Report's Alex Kay wrote.

The cost to the Chicago Bears? A 2026 fifth-round pick.

"He's well worth a fifth-round pick," Kay continued, "a move that would cap off Chicago's major offensive renovations and massively upgrade the backfield."

I think it's fair to say that White is a good player. He isn't a great player. He's certainly not a special player. In some ways, he reminds me of an off-brand Matt Forte. He's still relatively young, has less than 550 career carries, and is playing for a big-money deal.

Time will tell if the Chicago Bears believe their running back room is really a problem. And if they do, then Rachaad White will be a name to monitor.

This article first appeared on Chicago Bears on SI and was syndicated with permission.

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