RB Rachaad White discusses Buccaneers being 'slept-on'

Running back Rachaad White is among members of the Tampa Bay Buccaneers understanding that some believe the club will drop beneath the Atlanta Falcons in the NFC South standings after Atlanta signed veteran quarterback Kirk Cousins in free agency.

"The Bucs have been a slept-on team for years, and we done had our trials and tribulations," White said during a Tuesday appearance on "The Rich Eisen Show," as shared by Kevin Patra of the NFL's website. "…But times have changed, and now it's time for us to take that next step. Like I said, I won eight games my rookie year (2022), won nine my last year. It's time to take that step to get well over that, and not just barely make the playoffs or barely win the division, [but] win the division how I know we should win the division."

The 2022 Buccaneers claimed the division crown with a lackluster 8-9 record before the club suffered a brutal 31-14 wild-card playoff loss to the Dallas Cowboys and before legendary quarterback Tom Brady retired from playing "for good" in February 2023. 

Many expected the Buccaneers would enter a rebuild mode following the signing of signal-caller Baker Mayfield in March 2023, but Mayfield ultimately guided the team to a 9-8 mark, the division title and a home postseason victory over the Philadelphia Eagles.

According to ESPN stats, Tampa Bay finished White's rookie season ranked last in the league with an average of 76.9 rushing yards per game. Tampa Bay ended Week 18 of this past campaign ranked 32nd out of 32 teams with an average of 88.8 yards on the ground per contest.

"When it comes to rushing, Tampa Bay has been down bad," White admitted during the show segment. "My goal, and what I expect me to do, is turn that around, and that's to be top-10 to top-15, top-12, at the minimum. Obviously, there's not been a 1,000-yard rusher here in, like, what, nine years, and obviously, I was 10 yards short of that last year. So I'm a make sure I'm not nearby short of that this year and go well over that 1,000 yards."

As of Wednesday morning, DraftKings Sportsbook listed the Falcons as the betting favorites at -115 odds ahead of the Bucs (+300) to win the NFC South division title for the upcoming season. White and his teammates hope to have plenty to say about such predictions this coming January.