Tampa Bay Buccaneers running back Rachaad White is gearing up for a strong 2024 season after a breakout performance in the latter half of the 2023 season.
White, who tallied a career-high 990 yards on 272 carries with six touchdowns last season, believes he is just scratching the surface of his potential.
In a recent interview, White expressed his desire to be recognized and respected in the league.
“If you are a guy in this league, you want to be a guy that is scouted for and respected. I have seen that, and people just leaving me out. I saw that and wanted to make the most and make people fear me, make people respect me and to say when I come in the game, ‘It is not just 13 [Mike Evans], 14 [Chris Godwin]. [No. 1] you have to worry about too.'”
While the Buccaneers’ run game struggled at the start of the 2023 season, White was able to turn things around in the latter half of the campaign. In the Bucs’ final seven games, White averaged 4.05 yards per carry, totaling 531 yards and two touchdowns on 131 carries. He continued his solid performance in the postseason, averaging 4.7 yards per carry on 27 carries.
Looking ahead to the 2024 season, White acknowledged the need to be more efficient in order to take his game to the next level. “Right now, I’m not where I want to be in my career yards per carry-wise and things like that — just being an efficient running back. I think, for me, that’s [what] the biggest next step is, ‘OK, he’s efficient,'” he said. “The efficient running backs over the [course] of time — like I said, I study the game a lot — they average at least 4.0-4.1 [yards per carry] and above.”
With new offensive coordinator Liam Coen on board, White is excited about the potential for growth in the passing attack. “Obviously, I do want to be out in space a lot. I feel like I thrive well out in space,” he said.
“Liam showed clips of that, too. Over time… (Liam) wasn’t there, but like Todd Gurley and guys in the West Coast offense, (Darrell) Henderson — we’ve seen guys catching touchdowns out wide in empty (sets) matched up against a linebacker.”
