Todd Bowles knows Buccaneers are playing with fire when it comes to Bucky Irving’s role and the answer is already on the roster
Bucky Irving has been sensational for the Buccaneers in 2026 and a big reason why is because he’s finally healthy after an injury-riddled 2025 campaign. Todd Bowles knows he has to be strategical with Irving’s usage moving forward.
There is absolutely no denying Bucky Irving is the Tampa Bay Buccaneers’ MVP through the first nine games of the season.
The third-year back has been one of the NFL’s best at this point. He’s currently fifth in yards per game (91.7), tied for eighth in rushing touchdowns (7), fifth in first downs (39), his 4.9 yards per carry is tied for eight-best, and his 72-yard scamper in Week 5 against the Dallas Cowboys is the second-longest run through the first nine weeks.
There’s just one red flag surrounding Bucky Irving’s 2026 season: The Buccaneers have already handed him the rock 167 times (which is fourth-highest) and he already has 189 total touches on the year.
Sure, you always want to give your best players as many opportunities, as possible. It’s a different story with Irving, however, as he doesn’t have the typical frame of a bell cow-type running back.
Even if he plays much bigger than his size and is one of the toughest players in the NFL, Todd Bowles and the Buccaneers know they have to be more strategical with his usage over the back half of the season.
“I think the bye week for him has come at a perfect time,” Todd Bowles told reporters when asked about the fact Irving is on pace for 315 carries this season. “I think he’s tough and he’s handling everything right now, but I don’t know if he has the frame to keep up that type of workload. We’re going to have to take some of the carries off of him, and it’s hard to do because he’s playing such a great football right now, and he’s our bell cow. But we still got to be wary of trying to keep him upright the entire season.”
Kenny Gainwell is the easy solution to Bucky Irving’s workload managment
I’ve talked about this before, but it’s worth going over again. Kenny Gainwell has definitely proven he can help manage Irving’s workload this year, especially over the last few weeks.
He’s currently 31st among all running backs with 305 rushing yards off 63 carries on the year. The Buccaneers, Los Angeles Rams, and Chicago Bears are the only teams with two running backs in the NFL’s top-31 when it comes to total rushing yards on the season.
His 55.6% rushing success rate is better than Irving’s 52.7% rate and is also a better mark than what guys like Kenneth Walker, Derrick Henry, Bijan Robinson, and Jonathan Taylor have.
Gainwell is a double-threat just like Irving, as well. He showed against the Bears how lethal he can be when he took Baker Mayfield’s pass and churned out 44 yards down the left sideline. As a former receiver, he can run a full route tree and has better hands than most backs.
He averages about 15 touches per game and has at least 70+ total yards in the last three games, but I expect those numbers to increase after the bye week. Especially when considering the struggles Mayfield and the passing game are currently going through.
Don’t forget Sean Tucker, either. He’s shown he’s more than capable of making some big plays over the last couple of years and can help, as well.
Either way, it’s clear the Buccaneers have an answer to keep Irving healthy and productive while also keeping the running game on track. That’s how they set it all up during the offseason and it’ll come in handy during the final eight games of the season.
