Shoulder surgery for Tampa Bay's starter exposes a critical need for running back reinforcements as key backups depart and injury concerns loom.
The Tampa Bay Buccaneers’ No. 1 running back had shoulder surgery this offseason, which magnifies the team’s need to add depth at the position.
In 2024, Bucky Irving was a big reason why the Bucs won the NFC South.
As a rookie, Irving rushed for 1,122 yards and eight touchdowns, averaging 5.4 yards per carry.
But this past season, Irving was never quite right after Week 4's loss to the Philadelphia Eagles. Irving suffered a left shoulder injury in that game, but didn't inform team officials until the following week, according to ESPN's Adam Schefter. Also nursing a foot injury, Irving missed the next seven games. Following the end of the Buccaneers' season, Irving had surgery, which JoeBucsFan reported Monday.
Although Irving returned in Week 13, the fact that he needed surgery proves that the shoulder wasn’t fully healed, and Irving’s numbers (588 yards, one touchdown, 3.4 yards per carry) back up that he wasn’t at his best physically.
The good news for Irving is that, according to multiple reports, he’s expected to be ready to go by May, if not before the NFL draft in April.
It’s hard to tell what the lingering effects might be.
Dalvin Cook was one of the best running backs in football before breaking his shoulder in 2019, and had three more 1,000-plus yard seasons afterward. But the lingering pain led to Cook undergoing surgery in February 2023.
Cook had a forgettable year with the New York Jets (214 yards in 15 games) and then played two games with the Dallas Cowboys in 2024.
He hasn’t played a game since.
Irving’s injury was reported as a shoulder subluxation, or partial dislocation. Irving did return down the stretch for Tampa Bay, but his 5-foot-10, 195 pound frame took a beating given what we now know was a shoulder that was still injured and causing pain.
For what it's worth, Cook is the same height as Irving, and roughly 15 pounds bigger.
These concerns only magnify Tampa’s need to bolster its RB depth.
Not many teams had a better No. 2 option than Rachaad White, who rushed for almost 1,000 yards the year before Tampa drafted Irving in the fourth round.
Even in 2024, when Irving was healthy and the Bucs were still the kind of the NFC South, the team used two running backs. White contributed in a reduced role, going for 613 yards, scoring three touchdowns and averaging 4.3 yards per carry.
With Irving injured for almost two months, White turned in another solid season in 2025, rushing for 572 yards and averaging the same 4.3 YPC.
But now, White is set to be an unrestricted free agent, and has already made it clear that he has no intention of returning to the Buccaneers.
The Bucs No. 3 RB, Sean Tucker, has limited exposure due to playing behind Irving and White. But he has answered the bell when called upon. In 2024, Tucker averaged 6.2 yards per carry, rushing for 308 yards and two touchdowns. This past season, his touchdowns almost quadrupled (seven) but his YPC shrunk to 3.7.
Tucker is set to be a restricted free agent, which basically means that Tucker is Tampa's as long as they want him.
But Tucker has been criticized for his pass blocking (23 grade on Pro Football Focus), and although he has shown flashes of being a capable pass catcher out of the backfield, an inability to protect Baker Mayfield could lead to him sitting on passing downs in new coordinator Zac Robinson’s offense.
Speaking of Robinson, the Bucs have been linked to free agent-to-be Tyler Allgeier, who played in Robinson’s offense over the past two seasons with the Atlanta Falcons. Greg Auman, who covers the NFC South for FoxSports, even predicted that Allgeier would land with the Bucs.
If Allgeier ends up being affordable, the Bucs would be wise to go after him, especially given his ability to pass block (70.7 PFF grade).
Despite a low market value, however, Allgeier is a 25-year-old versatile back without much milleage who eclipsed 1,000 yeards in his only season as Atlanta's starter (some guy name Bijan Robinson came to Atlanta in 2023).
That type of production is something teams would want, and given the Bucs' other needs (edge rusher, linebacker, extending Mike Evans), it's hard to see them getting into a bidding war for an insurance policy.
Unless the Bucs can get a quality back for cheap, the best option might be to follow the line of thinking that brought Irving to Tampa in the frist place, which is getting a back in the mid-to-late rounds of the draft.
Tampa has less than $14.5 million in cap room per Sportrac, and there are more valuable ways to spend it.
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