Bucky Irving injury update: Buccaneers RB 'feeling good' despite missing practice
Tampa Bay Buccaneers running back Bucky Irving suffered an injury in Week 13, and the rookie's possible absence in Week 14 would be a significant blow to Tampa Bay as it pushes for a fourth consecutive NFC South title.
The Buccaneers lost Chris Godwin for the remainder of the season in Week 7 and Mike Evans has missed significant time in 2024. Despite the litany of injuries, Tampa is 6-6 and fighting with the Falcons for the top spot in the division entering its Week 14 tilt against the Raiders.
Irving was named the NFC Offensive Player of the Week for Week 13 and has been one of the breakout players in the NFL in 2024.
Here's the latest on Irving's injury and status for Week 14:
Bucky Irving injury update
The Buccaneers star rookie returned to practice on Friday, logging a limited session and is officially listed as questionable for Week 14. Irving is listed as having hip and back injuries, though ESPN's Jenna Laine labeled the ailment as a hip pointer.
Given the nature of his practice week, with two DNPs and a limited participation, Irving appears to be a true toss-up heading into Sunday.
The rookie led Tampa's backfield in opportunities and snaps in Weeks 12 and 13.
According to head coach Todd Bowles, Irving was injured on a kick return in the fourth quarter against Carolina.
On Tuesday, Irving told reporters, "I'm feeling good."
Irving was named the NFC Offensive Player of the Week after his performance against the Panthers in Week 13. Irving led the NFL with his career-high 152 rushing yards despite facing a stacked box on a season-high 32% of his carries on Sunday, according to Next Gen Stats. He contributed another 33 yards receiving to give him a career-best 185 scrimmage yards.
Bucccaneers RB depth chart
Here's how the Buccaneers depth chart would look if Irving missed time:
The Bucs have two healthy running backs on their 53-man roster outside Irving. White would assume most of the workload, but second-year back Sean Tucker would be a complement. Tucker received his largest workload this season when White missed Week 6. He finished with 135 rushing yards and a touchdown on the ground and added 56 receiving yards and a score through the air.
Irving leads all rookies in scrimmage yards (1,017) and rushing yards (732) while tied for the rookie lead in rushing touchdowns (6). He also ranks fourth among all NFL players in yards per touch (6.1), trailing only Jahmyr Gibbs, Saquon Barkley and Derrick Henry.
With Irving as the leading rusher, Tampa Bay has improved its rushing offense from 32nd in the NFL in 2023 in both yards per rush (3.4) and rushing yards per game (88.8) to fourth (5.1) and eighth (137.2), respectively, in 2024.
Liam Coen's offense can deploy multiple running backs, making Irving a valuable piece of the backfield.
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