Let’s put the spotlight on Bucs running back Bucky Irving.

With the 2024 season firmly in the rearview mirror and the pre-draft process, free agency, the draft itself, OTAs and mini-camp also behind us, it’s time to ramp up the excitement for training camp and then, of course, the Bucs’ 50th season. As we did last summer, we’ll spend the weeks leading up to training camp focusing on some storylines and narratives surrounding some of Tampa Bay’s biggest stars in 2025.

We started with quarterback Baker Mayfield, and now it’s on to second-year running back Bucky Irving.

What Can Bucky Irving Do For An Encore In His Second Season?

Bucky Irving burst onto the scene quickly as a rookie in 2025. He was an immediate fan favorite in Tampa, with “Bucky! Bucky! Bucky!” chants ringing throughout Raymond James Stadium as early as Week 1 of the regular season. His legend would only grow as the season went on, and by the end of the season he was one of the league’s top rookies and a fantasy football darling.

That’s what happens when you average 5.4 yards per carry and force 62 missed tackles on your way to 1,122 rushing yards and eight touchdowns. Irving was the first Buccaneer to rush for 1,000 yards in a single season since Doug Martin in 2015, and he was the first Tampa Bay rookie to surpass 1,000 rushing yards since Martin did it in 2012.

So, what does the encore look like for Bucky Irving in his second season in the league?

Bucs RB Bucky Irving Photo by: USA Today

Irving is sure to remain a focal point of the Bucs offense under new coordinator Josh Grizzard, and he’s likely to be in for even more carries in his age-23 season. His 1,000-yard rookie season is even more remarkable when you factor in that he didn’t take over the lead back role until later in the season. He only had double-digit carries four times in the first 11 games, and even then his high was only 14.

Down the stretch, he became more like a workhorse back. Outside of a win over the Raiders in which he was banged up, Irving had 25, 15, 16, 20 and 19 carries in December and January. By the end of the regular season, the 2024 fourth-round pick out of Oregon had 207 carries to Rachaad White’s 144.

So, will that carry split be even more drastic in 2025? It would seem likely. And with more carries, it’s hard to imagine Irving failing to replicate the type of success he had as a rookie. Given his skill set and ability to break tackles and make guys miss, there’s little reason to believe 2024 was a flash-in-the-pan type of season.

With that said, could another 1,000-yard rushing season be on the horizon for Tampa Bay’s No. 7? He has the ability to get there, and playing behind a strong offensive line only helps.

The only bummer is that unless there’s a significant Buccaneer contingent in Atlanta for Week 1 or Houston for Week 2, we may have to wait for the Week 3 home opener against the Jets to hear those “Bucky! Bucky! Bucky!” chants again. Even still, there’s reason to be pretty fired up to see what Irving has in store to follow up his breakout rookie campaign.

Will Bucky Irving Already Join Rare Company In Bucs History?

In a way, this is a trick question when you consider that Bucky Irving already joined pretty rare company in Bucs history as a rookie. His 1,000-yard rushing season was only the 13th in franchise history.

Interestingly enough, he was the fifth Buccaneer rookie to surpass that 1,000-yard mark, joining Errict Rhett, Cadillac Williams, LeGarrette Blount and Doug Martin before him. Still, that feels like rare company, as this is the 50th season of Buccaneer football.

But while the list of 1,000-yard rushers in Bucs history is in the double-digits and the number of rookie 1,000-yard rushers is surprisingly high given the history of offenses in Tampa Bay, Irving could become just the fifth Buc to rush for 1,000 yards more than once. Not only that, but he could become the third to do so in back-to-back seasons, joining Rhett (1994, 1995) and James Wilder (1984, 1985)

The first target for Irving when it comes to making history this season is that 1,000-yard mark. But if he gets there, the next goal could be surpassing 1,100 yards like he did last year when he finished with 1,122 yards on the ground. He would be just the third Buccaneer to go beyond 1,100 rushing yards twice.

Wilder and Martin both did it with flying colors, but the other two two-time 1,000-yard rushers didn’t. One of Rhett’s 1,000-yard seasons saw him barely break it with 1,011 yards, while one of Warrick Dunn’s 1,000-yard campaigns was a 1,026-yard season. Granted, Irving has an extra game to get there with the 17-game schedule.

And of course, another 1,000-yard season for Irving in 2025 would then set him up for a chance to become the first three-time 1,000-yard rusher in Bucs history in 2026.

Can Bucky Irving Stay Healthy With A Heavier Workload In 2025?

The big “if” in the NFL is always health, right? So, it’s fair to wonder how an increased workload could impact Bucky Irving in 2025. He ran 207 times last season to Rachaad White’s 144, but that was after he took on a heavier workload later in the season. If the soon-to-be 23-year-old is going to start the season as Tampa Bay’s lead back, he’s presumably going to finish with more than 207 carries in 2025, and the split between him and White (and Sean Tucker) could be wider.

The Bucs will surely manage his workload to an extent considering how strong of a trio they have with White and Tucker behind him, but might there be any worry about Irving holding up as a workhorse over a full 17-game season?

Irving did play all 17 games plus the team’s playoff game as a rookie, but there were certainly some times when he played through injury. He dealt with hamstring, toe, hip and back problems at different points in the season. Those hip and back injuries surfaced later in the season as his carry total increased, and while he didn’t miss a game, he was limited to four carries in Week 13 against the Raiders, which was a week after his career-high 25 carries at Carolina.

Bucs RBs Rachaad White and Bucky Irving – Photo by: Cliff Welch/PR

Irving certainly plays bigger and tougher than his 5-foot-10, 195-pound frame. But he is a smaller back, and he faces a different type of challenge in terms of absorbing the week-to-week grind of being a workhorse back than a 6-foot, 234-pound Saquon Barkley or a 6-foot-3, 247-pound Derrick Henry might.

Irving’s 207 carries were tied for the 19th-most in the league last year. Even if he sees a jump up to 220-230 in 2025, it’ll be smart of Tampa Bay to manage him the right way to keep him healthy and effective. That’s where having both White and Tucker helps, as both of those guys are starting-caliber backs.