Big Rookie Impact?
July 9th, 2022
Bucs RB Rachaad White
If the prediction from one long-time NFL observer comes through, Bucs fans are going to forget about Ronald Jones pretty quickly.
Gregg Rosenthal of NFL.com recently sifted through the NFC South looking for potential storylines and unexpected player impacts. And it seems he is very bullish on the potential of Bucs rookie running back Rachaad White.
Joe is of the mind that White was drafted specifically to replace RoJo. The only difference is that White is supposed to be multidimensional whereas RoJo had hands of stone in the passing game.
Rookie running back Rachaad White is a sleeper to lead the backfield in touches. He’s a fun enough prospect to be the deepest of sleepers for Offensive Rookie of the Year.
Well, if White is going to lead the Bucs’ backfield in touches (Joe is dubious about that given the presence of Playoff Lenny) then Joe believes two things will happen: Playoff Lenny misses a chunk of time with an injury and/or White totally blows up.
Think about it: The only reason a guy would lead a team in touches means is because he is getting production. No smart team or good team, especially with Tom Brady at quarterback, is going to keep feeding a guy if he isn’t producing.
So if White leads the Bucs’ running backs in touches, a team with real Super Bowl aspirations, that means White is destined to have a totally kickarse season.
July 9th, 2022 at 12:22 am
Rojo is out of sight, out of mind and I’m excited to see this dude play.
July 9th, 2022 at 1:09 am
Hopefully this kid goes off early and often! He definitely has the confidence in his abilities..
July 9th, 2022 at 3:17 am
Yup, all the rookie White has to do is win over Tom Brady & make him forget Playoff Lenny, the RB who TB12 lobbied so hard for the Bucs to re-sign to a mega-contract. How hard can it be? Ya right.
July 9th, 2022 at 4:12 am
This rook is being hyped as a Hall of Famer already. Let’s wait until he actually plays. Until then, he is a zero.
July 9th, 2022 at 4:54 am
Hopefully he’s our kamara, even better and he turns out to be a Saint killer
July 9th, 2022 at 5:50 am
I’ve got a good feeling about this kid. Hopefully I’m right for a change.
I’m thinking like that White from the Patriots who was a good receiver.
July 9th, 2022 at 7:08 am
Anyone that looks like a young chuck berry, and runs like a mini Eric Dickerson has just gotta be good!
July 9th, 2022 at 7:12 am
Do you like this pick & draft class or what?…….Good job, Jason
July 9th, 2022 at 7:38 am
I hope White can handle pass blocking in the NFL… That is my biggest concern with White at the moment. He better be able to protect the GOAT.
July 9th, 2022 at 8:02 am
Ve shall see?
July 9th, 2022 at 8:18 am
Rosenthal is a boob.
July 9th, 2022 at 9:28 am
I really like this kid. I do think he will unseat Lenny at rb1. But not this year, unless, as mentioned, Lenny is injured. Tom is not going to switch horses; even if he looks better in preseason. I think he will have a shot at 3rd downs and be in the running for rb2 right out the gate.
July 9th, 2022 at 10:33 am
Bucs are paying Fournette $7M this season – so Lenny will get the Lion’s share of snaps and carries in 2022.
Lenny earned that $7M and everyone’s trust by proving on the field that he has developed into a true 3 down NFL RB.
Way more likely 4Net will lead the league in RB receptions like he did last year until the slimy Saints took him out – than the chances of Rachaad White being the #1 RB on this team.
Only way Rosenthal’s prediction comes true is if Lenny gets seriously hurt early in the season.
July 9th, 2022 at 12:03 pm
Lenny will be the primary RB this season. If the drop off is minimal when Lenny’s catching a breather, that will be a bonus.
July 9th, 2022 at 12:51 pm
I don’t see White replacing Joines as a player. I see him taking a RB spot.
White is nothing like Jones. Jones could run, that’s about it, and he could run well. When Jones took the field, everyone knew that he was gonna get the ball to run. Not block. And when he caught a pass, that was like “wWw! He caught a pass.”
I don’t know what kind of blocker White is. But I suspect when he takes the field, similarly to Fournette, you don’t know if it’s a run or pass.
I see this as a significant upgrade in offense strategery.
I’ll trade unpredictability with White for some extra ball-carrying juice with Jones. In theory.
BUT
We ain’t seen squat yet…
July 9th, 2022 at 1:15 pm
He is a rook. However, I see him as an upgrade because he can catch.. We will see how good he can run in the NFL with a good line…
July 9th, 2022 at 1:39 pm
Who else are you giving Rojos 100 carries to, Gio or Vaughn highly unlikely
July 9th, 2022 at 2:26 pm
RB is one of the positions that rookies can excel at right away, we’ll see when pads come on. If he can catch as well as and with the frequency that he does interviews he will be the Offensive ROY.
July 9th, 2022 at 3:04 pm
Rookieof the Year???????????? over Wilson and Olave Bwhahahahahah!!!!!!
July 9th, 2022 at 6:48 pm
What a pile of bs! The kid may turn out to be a terrific player eventually but the odds on him being a huge impact player from the get go are mighty slim. A solid rookie performance would be fine.
July 10th, 2022 at 7:08 am
The chance is too low, <1%, RB is more difficult to learn TB offense. No RB Rockies shines during TB long career. Even Playoff Lenny nearly gave up. The RB needs to know how to block, when and where to catch.
July 11th, 2022 at 7:42 am
With Gronk undecided and Godwin on the mend, having 4-NET on the team gives the Bucs the opportunity to see if this guy is a true running back or more of a receiver. Get him in camp and get him coached up!