Is Bucky Irving’s rookie success duplicatable?
Last year, Tampa Bay Buccaneers‘ running back Bucky Irving exploded onto the scene and into the hearts of Tampa Bay fans as a rookie. Long before he had stadiums chanting his name, Irving was a fourth round pick and a backup role player. After a few months of NFL football that backup role player started to look like a pretty premium prospect and wound up finishing his first NFL season with 1,122 yards— The first time a Buccaneer runner topped 1,000 yards in a season since Doug Martin’s 2015 campaign.
Along with his 1,122 yards, came eight touchdowns. Irving was everything the Buccaneers could have hoped he would be when they selected him with the 125th pick in the Draft. Despite finishing the season with gaudy numbers, Irving didn’t take over the reins from Rachaad White until the season was well underway. It wasn’t until the month of November, when Tampa’s breakout rookie saw back-to-back games with double-digit carries.
This year, things will be a little bit different. Tampa Bay’s backfield is no longer a committee headed up by Rachaad White and the Buccaneers are no longer an objectively terrible rushing offense. Prior to last year’s phenomenal output, the Buccaneers’ running game had been mired by a multi-season streak of last place finishes.
Heading into 2024, Tampa hoped to develop a rushing attack. On the brink of 2025, the attack has been developed and is now supposed to be excellent. For Bucky Irving and the Buccaneers’ rushing attack, there are now expectations. For Irving specifically, he has the unique opportunity to etch himself deeper in the Buccaneers’ record books.
Bucs’ fans may be very accustomed to a superstar skill position player attempting to maintain a 1,000-yard streak, however, this one has nothing to do with Mike Evans. Last season, Irving famously became Tampa Bay’s first 1,000-yard rusher since the iPhone 6 was in its prime. This year, he has a chance to be just the third player in team history to start his career with consecutive 1,000-yard rushing seasons— The other two, James Wilder and Errict Rhett.
@Buccaneers running back Bucky Irving can make history in 2025 with another 1,000-yard season in just his second year in the league. He would join James Wilder in 1984-85 and Errict Rhett in 1994-95. Not bad for a fourth-round draft pick. @FanStreamDFW pic.twitter.com/dMm2l1hzS9
— Timm ‘IndyCarTim’ Hamm (@IndyCarTim) June 29, 2025
Irving’s performance throughout last season solidfied him as the starter by the end of the year and cemented his place atop the depth chart moving forward. The rookie season of Bucky Irving was easily one of the most captivating storylines Tampa Bay football had to offer year ago and it has a chance to go down in team folklore. For Buccaneers’ fans, the hope is year two will look a lot like year one and follow the Wilder/Rhett story arc, rather than the Cadillac Williams/Doug Martin arc.
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