As Tampa Bay Buccaneers head coach Todd Bowles addressed the media following a Week 4 loss to the Philadelphia Eagles, he relayed concerning injury news about rising star running back Bucky Irving.
Per Pewter Report beat reporter Scott Reynolds on September 29, “Bucs HC Todd Bowles says they’re still processing all of the injuries and ‘quite a few’ players are getting MRIs.”
Reynolds added that when Bowles was asked “if Bucky Irving is one of the players getting an MRI, he confirmed that he’s one of them.”
Tampa Bay Times beat reporter Rick Stroud reported the same, but in slightly different words, stating: “When asked if Bucky Irving was among the injured players he was concerned about, Todd Bowles said, ‘Yeah, he’s one of them.’”
While the Week 5 status of Irving is unclear at this time, the Buccaneers will certainly feel fortunate that they have quality backups like Rachaad White and Sean Tucker to call upon if needed.
Internet Doctors Speculate About Bucky Irving Injury News
During the second half of the Bucs’ Week 4 outing, there was a play that caught the attention of internet doctors and medical professionals around the NFL community. To be clear, these opinions should not be taken as fact and are merely speculation.
“Did Bucky Irving JUST sprain his left ankle on this fumble?” Doctor of Physical Therapy Evan Jeffries questioned on September 28.
Underdog Fantasy’s Hayden Winks appeared to agree with Jeffries’ assessment, noting: “Mentioned this on the [podcast], but the Bucky Irving (ankle) replay wasn’t my favorite. Assuming that’s what this is.”
On the same play, Irving’s wrist also hits the ground at an odd angle, causing some to speculate if he’s dealing with a wrist injury rather than an ankle issue.
“It’s unclear what specific injury Bucky Irving is dealing with, possibly a wrist based on some video yesterday, and he’s getting an MRI today,” Sports Medicine Physician Jesse Morse weighed in.
Either way, as Doctor of Physical Therapy Jeff Mueller reminded, after the play in question, Irving had a major impact on the game. This late-performance explosion included a “72-yard TD, 12-yard run (penalty), 5-yard run, 7-yard run (direct snap), 7-yard run, [and] 18-yard reception.”
Buccaneers May Have to Turn to Rachaad White in Week 5
It’s too early to say whether or not Irving will miss time, but we should know more after the results of his MRI are revealed.
If the second-year pro did indeed suffer an injury that requires him to sit for a week or longer, it will be White who retakes the starting role for Tampa Bay.
Although Irving has been great as the RB1, White is actually in the midst of a career year in terms of efficiency. In a lower snap count than usual, White has achieved a yards per carry average of 4.7, featuring 7 first down runs and 1 touchdown.
He’s also caught 8 of his 9 receiving targets for a total of 34 yards and 1 first down.
While the scrimmage yard numbers are lackluster overall, considering White topped 1,000 scrimmage yards in each of his past two seasons, the fourth-year playmaker has been making the most of his opportunities so far.
White is currently playing out the final year of his rookie contract, giving him added incentive to perform at a high level as he approaches his first NFL offseason as an impending free agent.