The Bucs’ offense relied on some unsung heroes during the team’s 28-13 win over the Raiders. From wide receivers Jalen McMillan and Sterling Shepard to tight end Cade Otton, their ability to make big plays was the difference as the offense overcame a scoring lull to finish the game on a high note. 

While they are each deserving of some credit, plenty should also be handed to the guy who took the most handoffs. Without rookie sensation Bucky Irving outside of five touches, it was running back Rachaad White who got most of the carries and had his best game of the season. White showed that his dynamic skillset still adds value to the room.

Rachaad White Is Blessed With The Ability To Catch The Ball

Bucs RB Rachaad White – Photo by: Cliff Welch/PR

Rachaad White has ceded touches this season to Bucky Irving, who has taken over the Bucs’ backfield as he has developed into one of the most elusive running backs in the NFL. Still, White offers an elite receiving ability and has become a more efficient runner.

After averaging 3.7 and 3.6 yards-per-carry across his first two seasons, that number is up to 4.2 yards-per-carry this season.

That included 17 carries for 90 rushing yards (5.3 yards-per-carry) on Sunday against the visiting Las Vegas Raiders, which was a new season-high for him on the ground. White added a touchdown on the ground and through the air, and his touchdown catch in the first quarter put his name among the greatest running backs in team history.

Since the start of the 2022 season, White and 49ers running back Christian McCaffrey are the only players in the league with 10+ rushing and receiving touchdowns. That ability has opened things up on offense and allows him to contribute in various ways.

Bucs RB Rachaad White – Photo by: USA Today

“I just think I’m blessed,” White said after the game about his receiving ability. God blessed me to be able to catch the ball and to be able to get out in space and try to make some things shake. It was for sure an honor seeing that. Now it has me wondering who leads, and if I can get that [record] too, but that was awesome.”

In the words of quarterback Baker Mayfield, White did a little bit of everything when the team needed him the most.

“Rachaad played his tail off, and mentality-wise, some of the runs he was doing – that’s what we need in December,” Mayfield said on White stepping up on Sunday. “He was physical, he did everything for us today, and yeah, he’s a great player.”

While the decision to make White the featured back last season did not pan out, he has thrived in a 1B role to Irving’s 1A this season. As a result, the team’s rushing attack has gone from dead-last to top-five.

Bucs RBs and O-Line Have Built Collective Cohesiveness

Bucs C Graham Barton and RG Cody Mauch – Photo by: Cliff Welch/PR

One cannot understate just how much better the Bucs’ run game has been this year, but that is also because of the offensive line’s own improvement. The unsung hero of the coaching staff has been offensive line coach Kevin Carberry and how he has gotten the most out of the room while implementing offensive coordinator Liam Coen’s run scheme and vision.

The running backs still have to hit the holes the big guys create, but it is a tandem that has worked in unison and has consistently produced results. That’s why Rachaad White quickly passed the praise to them after his big game.

“Man, the big guys came out on fire out [of] the gate,” White said when asked about his two-touchdown performance. “The collective unit, the wide receivers [and] everybody [was] just blocking and getting off the ball. We had a couple of short-yardage situations, and I was able to get some touches and get going.”

No play shows that better than right guard Cody Mauch setting up the block on White’s 3-yard touchdown run in the fourth quarter.

The praise goes both ways, though. The running backs and offensive line have been in lockstep since Day 1, and they have built an unrivaled chemistry that has shown itself on the field.

Bucs LT Tristan Wirfs – Photo by: Cliff Welch/PR

“That [running back] room has been awesome this year, just being able to gel,” center Graham Barton told Pewter Report after the game. “The running backs with the offensive line, that cohesiveness. It’s been good. They produced today, so proud of those guys. Glad we could find a way to win at the end of the game there.”

In Rachaad White’s eyes, the improvement in the run game is a product of the job general manager Jason Licht and the rest of the Bucs’ front office has done identifying the right players and coaches to make up what has become an elite rushing offense.

“It’s just awesome how Jason [Licht] and the rest of the guys upstairs built the offensive line,” White said. “Obviously, too, just give [those] guys credit for coming in, being a young unit and starting to gel. Obviously, Tristan [Wirfs] is the leader up there with everything he stands for. And guys getting older, like Luke [Goedeke] – think about the task he had today of Maxx Crosby [and] he wasn’t really getting [any] chips or anything like that.

“Just the mentality of those guys… I love to see it. We talk all the time – all the [running] backs talk with them in the huddle and things like that – of, ‘Let’s keep going.’ Obviously, they love to run the ball. Literally – they’re always calling for it, but we did that and we got the win.”