Buccaneers' Todd Bowles doesn't hold back on expectations for Rachaad White
The Tampa Bay Buccaneers offense was a shell of itself in 2022, but there were a couple of young players that managed to have a successful season in spite of all the issues. One of those guys is second-year running back Rachaad White. The former third-round pick showed promise as Leonard Fournette's backup, recording 771 […]
The Tampa Bay Buccaneers offense was a shell of itself in 2022, but there were a couple of young players that managed to have a successful season in spite of all the issues.
One of those guys is second-year running back Rachaad White. The former third-round pick showed promise as Leonard Fournette's backup, recording 771 total yards and three total touchdowns.
Now, it's all about building upon that season and with Fournette out of the picture, White has a great shot at doing just that.
"I would think right now Chaad’s [Rachaad White] the lead horse until he's not," Bucs assistant head coach Harold Goodwin said recently. "As you guys saw last year, he's capable, he can be special."
It's not just Fournette's departure that has White in a good spot, however. Dave Canales' zone-based scheme will do wonders for White when it comes to both his development and production. White is a great fit for that type of scheme – and his skills as a runner and receiver should help him become an all-around back, eventually.
"What shocked me about that was the toughness in the style that he ran because I saw him as this versatile guy who you could run routes with him out of the backfield, split him out wide and do some things like that, plus the run game," Canales said back in February. "But then you see his attitude in person in Germany, just see the style that he ran downhill, he was aggressive, the violence that he played with and you go, 'Wow, this guy could be special.'
"He's got some great skillset that really fits into our system."
As you can see, everything is leading up to a big things for White. And Todd Bowles' expectations are 100% clear thanks to one simple word he used after he was asked if he thinks White is line for a big year:
"Yes,” Bowles said earlier in the week.
The best part of all this, though, is that White is completely unfazed by the expectations. He embraces it and honestly, he expects that out of himself before anyone else does.
"I expect myself to be a stud – that’s just kind of who I am," White said back in April. "I put that kind of pressure and expectation on myself, especially with the journey I had to take. That feels good, like I said, that Mr. Licht and everybody upstairs believes in me. It’s just up to me – I’ve got a great opportunity ahead of me, as well as the team, so it’s up to me to do what I do.”
