Tampa Bay Buccaneers running back Bucky Irving (7) breaks into the end zone for a touchdown in the first quarter of the NFL Preseason Week 1 game between the Cincinnati Bengals and the Tampa Bay Buccaneers at Paycor Stadium in downtown Cincinnati on Saturday, Aug. 10, 2024. Sam Greene/The Enquirer / USA TODAY NETWORK

Buccaneers Run Game Shines in Preseason Debut

Originally posted on Tampa Bay Buccaneers on SI
By River Wells | Last updated Aug 11, 2024 12:54 PM ET

The Tampa Bay Buccaneers have a lot to work on heading into 2024, but one of the most pressing issues to solve is the run game.

The Bucs had a putrid run game in 2023, finishing either last or close to last in just about every metric. To fix that, the Bucs brought in some new interior offensive linemen in Duke standout Graham Barton and NFL free agent Ben Bredeson and then got a new running back in Oregon's Bucky Irving. And it's only the preseason, but it seems like it's working.

The Bucs averaged 4.3 yards per carry and had two rushing touchdowns, which is some good progress compared to last year. And that started with the offensive line, as Todd Bowles noted when talking to media on Sunday.

"I’m still in the process of looking at that, but I saw some good things," Bowles said. "There was a snap on the ground – I’ve got to finish looking at the tape – but from a run-game standpoint, I thought they did a decent job of getting up to the second level.”

And when they did, good things happened. Bucky Irving scored a touchdown in his debut, and running back Sean Tucker did some good work as well, averaging 6.8 yards per carry on 10 tries. Bowles was particularly impressed with both of them, noting that they improved as runners.

“I think the biggest thing is they’re getting downhill. Nobody is dancing back there like they were in the past," Bowles said. "They understand where the holes are a little better and they’ve gotten a year to mature – at least Sean does, Bucky is a natural runner like that. They’re recognizing the holes and they’re doing a good job in practice of seeing where it has to be and they’re exploding through it.”

The Bucs didn't even play starting running back Rachaad White, who had over 1,500 all-purpose yards from scrimmage last year. If he can benefit from the new offensive line and scheme from offensive coordinator Liam Coen, Tampa Bay's run game could really get going.

The Bucs will have a chance to pit starters against starters next week when the two teams participate in joint practices against the Jacksonville Jaguars. An ensuing preseason game will happen on Saturday, but the team isn't expected to play too many starters in that contest.