Bucs free agent could be a standout in Zac Robinson’s offense, and Tampa Bay may have little choice but to keep him
The Buccaneers might need to keep one of their prior draft picks, who their new OC could mesh with well.
New Tampa Bay Buccaneers offensive coordinator Zac Robinson knows a thing or two about effective running back play, as well as how to balance a rotation.
As the Falcons’ OC from 2024-25, he worked with Atlanta running backs Bijan Robinson and Tyler Allgeier. While Allgeier had a strong rookie season in 2022, coming in fifth in NFL Offensive Rookie of the Year voting, he took a back seat to Robinson after the latter was selected with the eighth overall pick in the 2023 NFL Draft.
Still, despite Robinson taking over lead back duties, Allgeier maintained a productive and regular role in Atlanta’s offense from 2024-25, particularly as a powerful, punishing change of pace to Robinson. He tallied 280 carries, 1158 yards, and 11 touchdowns over the last two years.
Looking at the Bucs’ backfield for 2026, only Bucky Irving and Josh Williams are set to return. Irving is a star in the making that Robinson should be able to utilize in a number of respects.
But he still needs a physical compliment. And Sean Tucker fits that bill.
Sean Tucker is a restricted free agent this year
Tucker was signed as an undrafted free agent shortly after the 2023 NFL Draft. He earned his way onto the 53-man roster as a rookie.
But it was in 2024 when he made a name for himself. He totaled 192 yards from scrimmage and two touchdowns in the Bucs’ 51-27 win over New Orleans and earned NFC Offensive Player of the Week honors for his performance. Over his last two seasons, he’s totaled 628 yards on 136 carries with nine touchdowns, along with 17 catches for 152 yards and two more scores.
With three years of service, Tucker is a restricted free agent, meaning the Bucs can tender him before the March deadline and receive draft pick compensation if he leaves for another team.
If the Bucs try to keep one of Tucker or Rachaad White, the latter has already made his intentions clear that he is looking to leave. White would also draw a higher price tag on the open market, thus again making Tucker the more realistic option to bring back of the two.
Zac Robinson could deploy Tucker in a similar role to Tyler Allgeier in Atlanta
Atlanta deployed almost a 1A-1B backfield in 2023 with Robinson and Allgeier, with a 214-186 carry split, respectively. But that’s not surprising given the standout season that Allgeier had in 2022 and the fact that Robinson was a rookie. That gap widened in 2024 in Robinson’s first year with the Falcons, jumping to 304-137. It narrowed a bit this season to 287-143. No other Atlanta running back on the roster hit double-digit carries in 2025.
However, Allgeier has gotten a high volume of short yardage and goal line work, and he’s been productive with it, totaling 11 scores and 80 first downs on the ground in Robinson’s offense.
Tampa Bay needs that strong option B, as they simply have to help keep Irving healthy after getting banged up significantly this season. While they could conceivably find a second running back option in the draft, they have a known quantity in Tucker who’s proven to be productive and available over the last two years (appeared in all 34 games). And the Bucs, frankly, have too many needs on the defensive side of the ball to waste a pick on a running back.
The Bucs have a lot of tough questions to answer this offseason, particularly as it relates on defense, but unless he gets overwhelmed with an offer, which seems unlikely, bringing Tucker back should be an easy choice.
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There’s already a bad narrative surrounding Zac Robinson and he’s barely been with the Buccaneers
Talk about jumping the gun (pun totally intended).
