{"id":894408,"date":"2026-05-18T07:33:39","date_gmt":"2026-05-18T07:33:39","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/www.rawchili.com\/nfl\/894408\/"},"modified":"2026-05-18T07:33:39","modified_gmt":"2026-05-18T07:33:39","slug":"tampa-bay-buccaneers-give-positive-update-on-bucky-irving-2","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/www.rawchili.com\/nfl\/894408\/","title":{"rendered":"Tampa Bay Buccaneers give positive update on Bucky Irving"},"content":{"rendered":"

The NFL<\/a> will begin OTAs soon, and teams like the Tampa Bay Buccaneers<\/a> will officially start their pursuit of a Super Bowl title. With minicamps and training camp just weeks away, the offseason is about to ramp up quickly.<\/p>\n

The Buccaneers have several key players recovering from injuries suffered during the 2025 season, including standout running back Bucky Irving<\/a>.<\/p>\n

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On Sunday, Tampa Bay<\/a> shared an encouraging update on Irving\u2019s recovery.<\/p>\n

MORE: Carolina Panthers make wise decision on Bryce Young extension<\/a><\/p>\n

Reports indicate<\/a> general manager Jason Licht said Irving is close to a full return.<\/p>\n

\"\"<\/p>\n

\u201c[Irving] will be limited during organized team activities but should be ready for training camp,\u201d Licht told reporters.<\/p>\n

The update marks a significant step forward for the third-year running back. Irving missed seven games last season while dealing with multiple injuries and spent the offseason recovering from a shoulder injury suffered during the year.<\/p>\n

Irving quickly established himself as a major piece of the Buccaneers\u2019 offense after the team selected him in the fourth round of the 2024 NFL Draft. Despite officially starting only three games as a rookie, he produced like a full-time three-down back.<\/p>\n

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MORE: Ranking the 5 best seasons by an NFL quarterback after his 40th birthday<\/a><\/p>\n

Irving totaled 254 touches from scrimmage for 1,514 yards and eight touchdowns during his rookie campaign. His production earned him votes for NFL Offensive Rookie of the Year honors. He appeared on pace for another strong season in 2025 before injuries slowed him down.<\/p>\n

\"\"<\/p>\n

The Buccaneers also added depth to the running backs room this offseason by signing Kenneth Gainwell<\/a> in free agency. Gainwell spent the 2025 season with the Pittsburgh Steelers<\/a>, where he earned Team MVP honors.<\/p>\n

Sean Tucker<\/a> also returns for the 2026 season after providing solid production in Irving\u2019s absence last year.<\/p>\n

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In 10 games during the 2025 season, Irving recorded 203 touches from scrimmage for 865 yards and four touchdowns. If he returns to full health, he could be poised for another breakout season in 2026.<\/p>\n

The next question is whether Irving can continue his rise and emerge as a legitimate NFL Offensive Player of the Year candidate.<\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"The NFL will begin OTAs soon, and teams like the Tampa Bay Buccaneers will officially start their pursuit…\n","protected":false},"author":2,"featured_media":894409,"comment_status":"","ping_status":"","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"footnotes":""},"categories":[2077],"tags":[390,1476,211,312,260,10626,380,7,7778,14451,20132,6,57,5639,9343,209,704,250,2597,2596,3081],"class_list":["post-894408","post","type-post","status-publish","format-standard","has-post-thumbnail","category-tampa-bay-buccaneers","tag-arizona-cardinals","tag-bryce-young","tag-buccaneers","tag-bucky-irving","tag-carolina-panthers","tag-chau-smith-wade","tag-florida","tag-football","tag-jason-licht","tag-kenneth-gainwell","tag-nathan-ray","tag-nfl","tag-pittsburgh-steelers","tag-raymond-james-stadium","tag-sean-tucker","tag-tampa","tag-tampa-bay","tag-tampa-bay-buccaneers","tag-tampabay","tag-tampabaybuccaneers","tag-usa"],"share_on_mastodon":{"url":"https:\/\/channels.im\/@nfl\/116594424375854549","error":""},"_links":{"self":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.rawchili.com\/nfl\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/894408","targetHints":{"allow":["GET"]}}],"collection":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.rawchili.com\/nfl\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts"}],"about":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.rawchili.com\/nfl\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/types\/post"}],"author":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.rawchili.com\/nfl\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/users\/2"}],"replies":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.rawchili.com\/nfl\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/comments?post=894408"}],"version-history":[{"count":0,"href":"https:\/\/www.rawchili.com\/nfl\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/894408\/revisions"}],"wp:featuredmedia":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.rawchili.com\/nfl\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media\/894409"}],"wp:attachment":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.rawchili.com\/nfl\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media?parent=894408"}],"wp:term":[{"taxonomy":"category","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.rawchili.com\/nfl\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/categories?post=894408"},{"taxonomy":"post_tag","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.rawchili.com\/nfl\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/tags?post=894408"}],"curies":[{"name":"wp","href":"https:\/\/api.w.org\/{rel}","templated":true}]}}