The Year Of The Running Back
February 17th, 2025
“Ed, you’re right. Chris Godwin’s salary could pay for Myles Garrett. We’re not sure if Garrett can cover Adam Thielen, though.”
One could argue that 2024 was the “Year of the Running Back.” It sure was for the Bucs.
Take away rookie Bucky Irving; do the Bucs finish fourth in the NFL in rushing? Joe would say, No way.”
That doesn’t mean Rachaad White couldn’t have had a decent season. It doesn’t mean Sean Tucker was incapable of having a good year. It’s just that Irving helped the Bucs’ running attack explode from its place as worst in the league in 2022 and 2023.
It wasn’t only the Bucs that enjoyed extremely proficient running. As Kay Adams pointed out last month, three running backs, Derrick Henry, Saquon Barkley and Jahmyr Gibbs, each posted one of the top-ten yards-per-carry averages in NFL history last season.
All three in the top-10 in the same season? That’s beyond bizarre. And this happened in the same season when the Bucs ranked fourth in rushing.
So is this a trend? Is running is once again king in the NFL like in the 1970s, or is this a wild fluke?
If the Bucs are going with the trend (if it is a trend) and want to stick with a ground-and-pound offense, is Team Glazer going to want to pay $20+ million a season each to Mike Evans and Chris Godwin while the Bucs have a ton of holes on defense?
Godwin is a pending free agent. If he hits the market, he will have suitors, with Washington maybe being the most prominent. Might Team Glazer intead instruct Bucs AC/DC-loving general manager Jason Licht to spend Godwin’s potential salary on defensive players?
It’s a question for which Joe doesn’t have an answer, but we’ll soon find out when free agency arrives in three weeks.
The next month ought to be fun, and maybe surprising.
Ira Kaufman Talks Jason Licht Popularity, Decision-Making Conversations, Chris Godwin, Underachievement Debate, And Much More
Here’s the highest single-season YPC in NFL history (min. 250+ attempts)…
Henry, Saquon AND Jahmyr ARE ALL TOP 10 … EVER!
3 separate guys having top 10 RB seasons (by ypc) in NFL history THIS year is crazy.
CRAZY. pic.twitter.com/MTlElvn1jj
— Kay Adams (@heykayadams) January 16, 2025
February 17th, 2025 at 4:01 am
I’m a little surprised to not see earl campbell and Emmitt smith not on that list.
February 17th, 2025 at 5:45 am
You can’t call it a ground and pound offense when your QB is in the top 3 in yardage and TDs.
Our offense was finally strong on the ground, which obviously doesn’t mean they weren’t throwing the ball. Isn’t this the offense we’ve always wanted? Why would you let Godwin go unless spending on him would somehow inhibit their ability to improve the defense, which is job 1?
February 17th, 2025 at 6:13 am
FilthyAnimal
You asked the major question.
“Why would you let Godwin go unless spending on him would somehow inhibit their ability to improve the defense, which is job 1?”
That indeed is the question!
I would add another perhaps minor question. NEED. CG14 is obviously a terrific asset for any offense. It seems to me however with the emergence of JMac when it really counted, the growth of Otton and Culp, and 3 running backs who can all catch, there is another move that could perhaps influence the Bucs decision.
Rachaad is as Joe points out a decent runner, he’s also a great receiver out of the backfield. Wouldn’t he make a great replacement for what CG14 did for the Bucs in the slot? Tucker would get more carries and in a real jam, Bucky or Tucker go down, Rachaad could always back up that spot. What if Rachaad was the 1st slot receiver and the 3rd (emergency) backup if heaven forbid something happens to Bucky?
Having said all that it was just yesterday I pointed out given ME13’s hammy wouldn’t it be prudent to keep CG14?
It’s really a TOUGH decision. I think as always it will come down to the Benjamins, and as you point out IF there is an affordable but expensive group of FA’s.
February 17th, 2025 at 6:18 am
The game seems to run in cycles. First it’s a run first league, then a wide open passing league and now perhaps the pendulum is swinging back to a little more run.
I think what is always valuable is balance. The Bucs seem to have found the sweet spot.
I give most of the credit for this to Jason not the OC’s who wisely used that talent. The OL rebuild was masterful but then OL has always been JL’s speciality. Bucky in the 4th round is just too good to even credit JL too much. Some luck, kinda like Belichik getting Brady in the 6th, certainly played a little bit there.
JMac is another great decision by JL.
Let’s just hope he nails the draft this year as well as he did last year!!!
February 17th, 2025 at 7:07 am
… and Bucky at 5.4. I don’t have the time to research it but I wonder what year had the most players over 5 in NFL history. 4 players over 5 is pretty solid!
February 17th, 2025 at 7:21 am
The passing game emphasis has opened running games again. The weird part was how bad so many passing games were last year. The Bucs had tremendous balance
February 17th, 2025 at 7:32 am
When a team builds an entire defense around stopping the pass it usually involves smaller faster defenders. This opens up the running game for teams with road grader offensive lineman. Complete mismatch when teams are able to physically dominate the game on both the offensive line and defensive line.
February 17th, 2025 at 7:58 am
KA
“I don’t have the time to research it”
Bucky’s 5.4 was slightly better than Barry Sanders rookie # of 5.3
Sanders had a lot more carries and a lot more TD’s.
Is Bucky an all time great? Of course not. But he did have an all time great rookie season! If like Barry, Bucky can keep it up for ten consecutive seasons, THEN he’ll be an all time great.
February 17th, 2025 at 8:11 am
Godwin will definitely have teams interested in him if he is in free agency. Similar to Ira’s latest podcast, if the Bucs feel he is good to go from the ankle injury, other teams will be putting their feelers out there for him too.
February 17th, 2025 at 12:34 pm
To think Bucky wasn’t far behind those 3 in his rookie year is just damn exciting.
February 17th, 2025 at 5:29 pm
Godwin is a need, not a luxury.