As much as the Bucs’ offense has struggled this season, running back Bucky Irving has been a bright spot for it as the best player in that unit. Year three has proved to be the best season yet for Irving. He’s well on his way to 1,000 rushing yards, currently sitting at 825 through nine games, and is on pace to surpass the 1,122 yards he ran for as a rookie.

Irving is also fourth in the entire NFL in rushing, and his seven rushing touchdowns puts him ninth. By any metric he has been exceptional this season and the main catalyst for Tampa Bay’s offense that has struggled to find any success in the passing game. Not only have the Bucs run rampant with Irving, they’re using him as a workhorse in the ground game, too.

Irving far out-snaps his backup running back Kenny Gainwell 375 to 220. He has amassed 195 touches in nine games, including 167 rushes. If he continues to average over 20 rushing attempts like he has in the last three games, he will surpass the most attempts in his career by Week 13.

Bucs RB Bucky Irving – Photo by: Cliff Welch/PR

Bucky Irving Giving Bucs Great Production, But At A Cost

Watching the success of Bucky Irving has been a breath of fresh air for the team. He was limited to just 10 games a season ago due to foot and shoulder injuries but has come back this year with a bang. Yet Irving’s workload also comes with a price. The Bucs have relied so much on Irving that it may wear him out by season’s end.

It’s a tough spot to be in. Tampa Bay clearly needs his production in the run game, but because of his size at 5-foot-10, 192 pounds, he may wear down before the team finishes the season.

That’s why Bucs head coach Todd Bowles said that his usage may change coming out of the bye week.

Bucs RB Bucky Irving – Photo by: IMAGN Images via Reuters Connect

“I think the bye week for him has come at a perfect time,” Bowles said of Irving. “I think he’s tough and he’s handling everything right now but I don’t know if he has the frame to keep up that type of workload. We’re going to have to take some of the carries off of him, and it’s hard to do because he’s playing such great football right now and he’s our bell cow. But we’ve still got to be wary of trying to keep him upright the entire season.”

Actions speak louder than words, of course. We’ve heard Bowles and offensive coordinator Zac Robinson talk about getting other players involved more in the running game and they just don’t do it.

Bucs Have Talent To Help In The RB Room

With that said, the Bucs have plenty of talent at running back where they can keep Bucky Irving fresh. It was a little bit of a slow start with free agent acquisition Kenny Gainwell, but he’s picked it up as of late. That started in Week 7 when Gainwell rushed for 88 yards and averaged 6.3 yards per attempt in a win at Carolina.

It continued during the infamous Week 8 game at home against the Falcons where Gainwell contributing in Tampa Bay’s franchise record of 324 yards in the game, rushing for a career-high 140 yards. While Gainwell didn’t do much on the ground in last week’s game at Chicago, he played a big role in the passing game, recording 60 yards with a splash play on a 44-yard catch-and-run.

Bucs RB Kenny Gainwell – Photo by: Cliff Welch/PR

And then there’s the case of Sean Tucker. The Bucs clearly don’t want to use him too much, but when he’s in, he’s able to make plays.

Take the Week 7 game for example. Tucker got in during the second half of the blowout and ripped off a 46-yard touchdown run. Tucker, who led the Bucs with last season with seven touchdowns, has one more touchdown – two – than Gainwell has this season. He’s probably the most explosive back that Tampa Bay has, and yet Tucker didn’t get an offensive snap over the last two weeks despite the production he brings with limited opportunities.

If the Bucs commit to keeping Irving healthy, Tucker gives the offense another option with Gainwell if this is truly their plan. Having less workload for Irving can cause a hit to the team’s production, but it could be for the better if they have a healthier, fresher Irving in crucial moments later in the season.