Foot and shoulder injuries resulted in Bucky Irving making just 10 appearances in 2025. A return to full health in time for the summer is anticipated, though.
Buccaneers general manager Jason Licht said (via Rick Stroud of the Tampa Bay Times) Irving will be a limited participant in upcoming OTAs. Nevertheless, Irving is expected to fully take part in training camp. His recovery from shoulder surgery is progressing well, and a large offensive workload for 2026 is likely.
Tampa Bay’s backfield changed during free agency. Rachaad White expectedly departed on the open market, while Kenneth Gainwell was added. The latter thrived during a one-and-done Steelers stint, and he will be expected to be a regular presence on offense with the Buccaneers. Sean Tucker is once again in place as a short-yardage specialist. As such, a committee approach is being planned by the team.
“Obviously, we’re missing [Irving] right now, but once he gets out there, I think it’s going to be great to see him and Kenny go hand in hand,” new offensive coordinator Zac Robinson said. “Shoot, one guy might get this amount the next week. They might end up balanced, feeling the hot hand, and we’ll see where it goes.”
Irving quickly emerged as a focal point during his rookie season, racking up 254 touches in 2024. His usage in the passing game was similar last season, but the former fourth-rounder averaged over 17 carries per contest when on the field (compared to 12 the previous year). It will be interesting to see how much Irving is used during his age-24 campaign. Gainwell comfortably set new career highs in attempts (114) and receptions (73) with Pittsburgh in 2025.
The 27-year-old’s success while handling that workload resulted in a spike with respect to compensation. Gainwell landed a two-year, $14MM deal on the open market after playing for $1.79MM as a Steeler. He will be expected to handle a notable workload on offense, although his skillset overlaps in large part with Irving’s. The division of reps through the summer once all three members of the Irving-Gainwell-Tucker trio are healthy will be worth monitoring.