Year 2 for Tampa Bay Buccaneers running back Bucky Irving wasn't what he or the franchise expected.
After a rookie campaign that saw Irving and his 1,122 yards and 8 TDs take the NFL by storm, much was expected from Bucky in his second NFL season.
But injuries plagued his year, with Bucky playing just 10 games and rushing for only 588 yards and one touchdown.
And in Maurice Jones-Drew's ranking of every starting running back in 2025, Irving, out of 64 players, is down at No. 24.
"Irving struggled to stay healthy a year after his rookie breakout campaign," Jones-Drew wrote. "He scored only once on the ground in 10 games and rushed for more than 4.0 yards per tote in only two of those games. Irving still led the team in carries and rush yards, which pretty much sums up the Bucs offense in 2025.
"The next offensive coordinator must find ways to get this backfield going."
More: Former Buccaneers RB offers honest thoughts on Bucky Irving partnership
Irving set for 2026 bounce-back
We know that success in the NFL isn't linear, and Irving found that out. Your best ability is availability, and Irving didn't have that in 2025.
So that is the one thing Irving and the Buccaneers staff have to figure out. So many injuries have plagued Tampa Bay over the past two seasons. They overcame it in 2024, but couldn't this year.
A fully healthy Irving is a game-changer for the Buccaneers. He was far from that in 2025, although he still averaged 58.8 yards per game.
With a big offseason and an uninterrupted one, Irving could be one player set for a bounce-back year and power Tampa Bay back to the playoffs.
More Buccaneers news:
- Mike Evans' projected free agent market value could spell Buccaneers end
- Why Buccaneers might have an Emeka Egbuka problem
- Where does Buccaneers' 2025 draft class rank among NFL's best?
- 2 OC candidates perfect for Buccaneers and Baker Mayfield