Bucs running back Rachaad White came oh so close to having the first 1,000-yard rushing season of his young NFL career in Week 18 at Carolina. Needing 85 yards rushing coming into the Panthers game, White finished with 75 yards on 19 carries (3.9 avg.) in the Bucs’ 9-0 win.

White entered Sunday’s game with 915 yards rushing on 253 carries (3.6 avg.) with six touchdowns. He ended his first season as a starter with 990 yards on 272 carries (3.6 avg.) and six scores.

The second-year running back was hoping to become Tampa Bay’s first 1,000-yard rusher since Doug Martin accomplished that feat during the 2015 season, rushing for 1,402 yards. Martin had a pair of 1,000-yard rushing seasons in Tampa Bay in 2012 and 2015.

Tampa Bay’s third-round pick in 2022 also came into Week 18 as one of the league’s best all-purpose weapons and finished the regular season with 1,539 yards – 990 yards rushing and 549 yards receiving. That ranks third in the NFL in total yards from scrimmage. One of the best receiving backs out of the backfield, White finished the year with 64 catches for 549 yards (8.6 avg.), White also had three receiving touchdowns.

Rachaad White Had A Strong Desire To Hit 1,000 Yards

Bucs RB Rachaad White – Photo by: USA Today

In an exclusive interview with Pewter Report, Rachaad White acknowledged he’s become an all-purpose back, and is just as dangerous as a receiver as he is a runner. But as a running back, White wanted to hit 1,000 yards rushing season, as that’s the hallmark of most top-tier backs in the league.

“A lot of guys’ goal is to be a 1,000-yard rusher,” White told Pewter Report in November in an SR’s Fab 5 column. “I still look at it right now and I’m still on the cusp. I truly believe in my big guys up front. And five more games like the [the Colts and Panthers games] and I’m going to get that 1,000 yards rushing.”

Despite falling short of his 1,000-yard goal, the team-oriented White knows that his total yardage is what really matters to the Bucs.

“It’s all about, as a running back, we all just try to do the best we all can do to help the team,” White said. “Some days are running days, some days are passing days. If you’re a good guy who can run routes and catch the ball out of the backfield and things like that and make plays happen out in space, then I’m pretty sure – yards are yards.

“Scrimmage yards are a huge deal today in the NFL. There are a lot of things that are a huge deal. I mean, for fantasy, catching the ball is huge, and things like that for people and in general. You just see how big and how huge it is. I would say yards are yards, scrimmage yards and all that, it all makes sense.”

Still, White wanted to hit 1,000 yards rushing this season and wind up well over 500 yards receiving to finish his first season as Tampa Bay’s starting back.

Bucs RB Rachaad White – Photo by: USA Today

“You’re proud of yourself, but you’re not really that upset because if I don’t get 1,000, but I get 800-900 rushing yards and 500-600 receiving yards, you still got 1,500 all-purpose yards or so,” White said. “Then add in whatever touchdowns you would finish with, so it still adds up. But obviously, if you had 1,000 [rushing] and then 600 [receiving] you’ll have 1,600 so it’s just huge. Yards are yards man, any production at the running back level nowadays has a huge impact on the team.”

Bucs offensive coordinator Dave Canales is proud of Rachaad White’s progress as a runner this season.

“He has continually improved,” Canales said. “It’s obviously a new system for him. Some of the run schemes are similar to what he has done in the past, but like I said with the run game improvement, a lot of that is on the O-line. But also him with his eyes where he’s looking at how to read these blocks. Obviously, he is a special athlete when he’s got the ball in space. We know that, but just his improvement in setting blocks up has been a huge difference.”

.@Chaad_1 joins Warrick Dunn as the only Bucs in team history with 1,000+ rushing yards and 750+ receiving yards over their first two seasons.

The future is bright ☀️ pic.twitter.com/mINkbG00JZ

— Tampa Bay Buccaneers (@Buccaneers) December 17, 2023