Irving enters the NFL after a productive career at Oregon after the Buccaneers used a fourth-round pick to select him in the 2024 NFL Draft. His calling card is his stop-and-start ability -- he can make defenders miss in a phone booth. At 5-foot-9 and 192 pounds, he'll have an opportunity to carve out a change of pace role in Year 1 but does not have much potential to be a lead back and would likely serve in a committee should something happen to Rachaad White. Irving is likely to come off the board in Round 3 of most rookie-only drafts. In redraft, he may be worth a late-round pick just to see how his role shakes out in training camp.
There are a lot more stash candidates than potential starting candidates on the waiver wire in Week 1. As it should be. To make sure I hit them all, I'm breaking it down by roster rate. Bucky Irving, Zach Charbonnet, Jaylen Wright, and Marshawn Lloyd are all excellent bench stashes who are rostered in between 50 and 67 percent of leagues. Irving is my favorite. He looked very good in preseason action and Rachaad White has been an inefficient rusher.
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Buccaneers' Bucky Irving: Week 1 Waiver Priority List
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Through my first 15 drafts this season of leagues that I'm playing out, Irving was my most rostered running back. He's a lottery ticket as the No. 2 option behind Rachaad White, but hopefully Irving will get some quality playing time in tandem with White early in the season. Irving should prove to be a valuable pass catcher in Tampa Bay's offense.
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Buccaneers' Bucky Irving: Records 31 total yards in win
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Irving rushed six times for 26 yards and brought in his only target for five yards in the Buccaneers' 24-14 preseason win over the Dolphins on Friday night.
The rookie had drawn the start in the first two preseason games, but Rachaad White saw his first and only action of the exhibition slate Friday and was the first running back in. Irving checked in on the second possession and put together another solid performance relative to opportunity, and he appears set to start the regular season as the clear-cut No. 2 back behind White.
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Buccaneers' Bucky Irving: Starts again Saturday night
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Irving rushed six times for 26 yards in the Buccaneers' 20-7 preseason loss to the Jaguars on Saturday night.
The rookie drew another start with Rachaad White sitting out, and Irving was able to deliver a solid performance with a team-high number of carries. Irving has handled himself well over his first two preseason games and remains on track to serve as the primary complement alongside White, who should enjoy a robust role within new coordinator Liam Coen's offense.
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Buccaneers' Bucky Irving: Solid showing in preseason start
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Irving rushed six times for 28 yards and a touchdown and brought in one of two targets for no gain in the Buccaneers' 17-14 preseason win over the Bengals on Saturday night. He also returned one kickoff for 22 yards.
Irving drew the start due to Rachaad White being held out, and the rookie responded with an impressive showing in his first taste of NFL on-field action. The Oregon product also capped off the Buccaneers' only scoring drive of the first half with a five-yard touchdown run late in the first quarter. Irving has reportedly been impressing in training camp practices as well, and he increasingly appears likely to open the season as the No. 2 back due to veteran Chase Edmonds (undisclosed) having missed over two weeks of practice and still devoid of a return timeline.
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Buccaneers' Bucky Irving: Tailor-made for new run scheme
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Irving, who the Buccaneers selected in the fourth round out of Oregon in the 2024 NFL Draft, has looked like an ideal fit for the versatile run scheme within new offensive coordinator Liam Coen's system, Brianna Dix of the team's official site reports.
The rookie surpassed the 1,000-yard mark on the ground in each of his last two seasons with the Ducks, making him quite the potential value pick in the fourth round. In his first pro season, Irving is expected to fill a solid complementary role alongside Rachaad White, who he boasts a very similar skill set to, albeit at a slighter frame of 5-foot-10, 195 pounds. Irving also is very familiar with many of the run concepts in Coen's scheme from his college days, and Dix notes the rookie has already showcased his receiving acumen on screen passes over the first few practices while flashing strong suddenness, change-of-direction ability and above-average contact balance.
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Buccaneers' Bucky Irving: Finds landing spot in Tampa
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The Buccaneers selected Irving in the fourth round of the 2024 NFL Draft, 125th overall.
Given the muddled nature of the incoming rookie running backs, Irving was presumed to be one of the draft's best options following back-to-back 1,000-yard rushing seasons with Oregon. A historically bad combine performance (4.55 40-yard dash at 192 pounds) saw Irving completely fall out of that conversation, but the landing spot Saturday might afford the 21-year-old an opportunity to play relevant snaps immediately with his new team. Rachaad White absorbed almost 350 touches last season with the team devoid of a true backup option, and while Irving's athletic testing was hardly pristine, the two-year starter was a capable enough runner and talented pass catcher in college that he'll act as a facsimile of sorts for the aforementioned White.
