The countdown to the Bucs’ 2026 season is on. Right now, we’re:

86 days away from Bucs regular season kickoff
56 days away from Bucs preseason kickoff
40 days away from Bucs training camp

In the leadup to training camp, Pewter Report’s Bailey Adams will be diving into storylines for 26 key figures who will be crucial to the Bucs’ success in 2026.

Today, the series continues with running back Kenny Gainwell.

26 For ’26: Kenny Gainwell Bucs Storylines In 2026

What Does Kenny Gainwell’s “RB1A” Role Look Like For The Bucs Offense?

The Bucs made it very clear how important they felt Kenneth Gainwell could be to the team when they signed him to a two-year, $14 million deal this offseason. That $7 million-per-year salary immediately begged the question about what his role will be in 2026, especially with starter Bucky Irving coming off an injury-plagued, sophomore-slump type of 2025 season, as well as offseason shoulder surgery. Head coach Todd Bowles made it clear early on: Irving is the starter, but Gainwell will be the “1B” to his “1A.”

What will that look like, then? Perhaps new offensive coordinator Zac Robinson will ride the hot hand whenever possible. Maybe it means deploying more Pony looks with two running backs – both Irving and Gainwell – on the field at the same time. What’s clear, though, is that the snap and carry split between Irving and Gainwell won’t be as lopsided as it was between Irving and Rachaad White in 2024 and 2025.

In 2024, White began the season as Tampa Bay’s starting running back. Irving, the Bucs’ fourth-round pick out of Oregon that year, was the clear No. 2 early on. His first five games saw him earn nine, seven, nine, 10 and nine carries, respectively, compared to 15, 10, six, 10 and 10 for White. The Bucs kind of got away from the run between Weeks 7 and 10, but down the stretch, it became the Irving show.

He had games of 13, 12, 25, 15, 16, 20 and 19 carries down the stretch, while White was left with 12, 11, 15, three and six in those same games. By the end of the year, Irving had 207 carries to White’s 144. Last year, despite his injury problems that cost him seven games, Irving still finished with a 173-132 advantage over White. There was a point in 2024 when it felt like White became the clear No. 2 behind Irving. It doesn’t feel like that gap will exist quite as much with Gainwell in the mix in 2026.

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

Gainwell didn’t sign for $7 million per year to be a third-down back. He’s very clearly going to figure heavily into the Bucs’ plans on offense this year. So, what will the split look like? It’ll be interesting to track. Because as much as it would feel like something of a surprise if we see another 30-40 carry difference between Tampa Bay’s top two backs, there’s also the fact that Gainwell’s career high for carries is 114, which came last year when he ran for 537 yards (4.7 avg.) and five touchdowns in his lone year with the Steelers.

Will he soar past that career high this year in a 1-2 punch with Irving? Maybe. It could potentially serve the offense well by keeping Irving fresher and healthier. Throw Sean Tucker into the mix, too, and you see a crowded backfield, but one that – if handled the right way – could be extremely difficult for defenses to stop, especially with all three players keeping each other fresh and setting themselves up to wear defenses down late in games.

How Much Will The Bucs Use Kenny Gainwell’s Pass-Catching Prowess?

It’s no secret that Gainwell is much more than a rushing threat out of the backfield. He’s proven over his first five years in the league to be an excellent pass-catcher as well, which will give Tampa Bay offensive coordinator Zac Robinson options while giving quarterback Baker Mayfield another reliable target. How much, then, will he factor into the Bucs’ passing game? If early signs this summer tell us anything, the answer is “quite a bit.”

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

Throughout OTAs and into the two mini-camp practices, Gainwell was a constant factor out of the backfield as a receiving threat. Granted, Bucky Irving didn’t take any reps during the full team periods, so it was Gainwell getting the lion’s share of snaps. But when he was in there, he was a frequent outlet for Mayfield in all kinds of situations, including down in the red zone. He was impressively sure-handed throughout the offseason program, a sign of continued progress for a guy who had five drops as a rookie in 2021 with the Eagles.

Since that rookie campaign, though, Gainwell has shown great improvement and a big downturn in drops. He had just two in 2022 and one in 2023 before finishing the 2024 season with zero drops as part of Philadelphia’s Super Bowl-winning team. He had just two drops last year on 85 targets, too.

Beyond the dependability of his hands, Gainwell has also been remarkably consistent in terms of his yards per catch average over the course of his career. He’s also coming off the best receiving year of his career with an increased volume of targets in Pittsburgh.

2021 w/ PHI: 50 targets, 33 catches, 66% catch rate, 253 yards, 7.7 avg., 1 TD, 14 first downs
2022 w/ PHI: 29 targets, 23 catches, 79.3% catch rate, 169 yards, 7.3 avg., 0 TD, 7 first downs
2023 w/ PHI: 37 targets, 30 catches, 81.1% catch rate, 183 yards, 7.1 avg., 0 TD, 11 first downs
2024 w/ PHI: 22 targets, 16 catches, 72.7% catch rate, 116 yards, 7.3 avg., 0 TD, 6 first downs
2025 w/ PIT: 85 targets, 73 catches, 85.9% catch rate, 486 yards, 6.7 avg., 3 TD, 23 first downs

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

In an offense that will surely be spreading the ball around in hopes of staying balanced and productive in the post-Mike Evans days, the receiving ability that the newest Buccaneer running back will only make him more valuable. He’s a true dual-threat weapon out of the backfield, one that could be a sneaky key to the success of Robinson’s offense this year.

Can Kenny Gainwell Be A Boost For Bucs Special Teams In 2026?

The more you look at the ways in which Gainwell can help this 2026 Bucs team, the clearer it becomes that the only area he won’t help in is on the defensive side of the ball. Not only can he be a factor in the ground game as the 1B to Bucky Irving’s 1A. Not only can he contribute as a pass-catching threat out of the backfield or even lining up in the slot. He can also be a help to the special teams units.

No one knows that better than new Bucs special teams coordinator Danny Smith. He coached Gainwell in Pittsburgh last year, and he told the media earlier this offseason just how adamant the 27-year-old running back is about being in the game on the kickoff return team.

“Kenny Gainwell will fight me about being on special teams,” Smith said. “I took him off some situations last year and he’s in my office and very specifically said, ‘What I do wrong?’ … He said, ‘Why the hell ain’t I the 2 on that kickoff?'”

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

Gainwell was voted as the team MVP for the Steelers last year despite not even being the team’s starting running back. As much as that honor came from his 1,023 scrimmage yards and eight total touchdowns, part of it also came from what he chipped in on special teams as well. He returned 26 kicks for Pittsburgh for 633 yards (24.3 avg.), and if it were up to him, he would’ve had even more opportunities.

Prior to last year, Gainwell had more limited experience returning kicks throughout his time in Philadelphia. He returned eight kicks for 137 yards (17.1 avg.) in 2021 and had one return for 19 yards in 2023. When the new kickoff format was introduced for 2024, he returned 18 kicks for 456 yards (25.3 avg.).

Gainwell is a $7 million man for the Bucs, so there will surely be some conversations about whether he should be on the field on kickoffs and what limitations might need to be put in place with that. But with the adjusted NFL kickoff rules, teams are using running backs in the return game a lot more because of their shiftiness and field vision. Tampa Bay has put Sean Tucker in that role before, and head coach Todd Bowles said he wouldn’t be opposed to putting Gainwell out there this year, either. His kickoff return average is on par with Tucker’s and Kam Johnson’s, so at the very least, he gives Tampa Bay another option.

Catch Up On Previous Installments Of Bailey Adams’ 26 For ’26 Series

Baker Mayfield
Bucky Irving