The Tampa Bay Buccaneers’ offense has spent most of the season searching for answers under offensive coordinator Zac Robinson, but the running game has at least offered a few hints of life through four games.
A big reason for that has been Bucky Irving, who has been carrying most of the load. Kenny Gainwell, meanwhile, has not given Tampa Bay much in his first stretch with the team. He has averaged just two yards per carry on 13 rushes and has yet to score.
That made Sean Tucker’s first action of the season in the loss to the Green Bay Packers stand out even more. Tucker made the most of his opportunity, scoring one of the Buccaneers’ two touchdowns on the day. Still, that didn’t translate into a bigger role afterward.
When Robinson was asked why Tucker didn’t get more snaps after the touchdown, his answer left plenty to be desired.
"Yeah, I think those were situational plays that we had in. Then, it just so happened that we had the next guy up on the next series," Robinson said.
"But yeah, that's where we've got to continue to evaluate when we can mix them in there. But yeah, it just so happened to be the next guy's series up, and we roll from there."
That explanation doesn’t do much to explain why Tucker had been kept out of the mix entirely through the first three games. If the Buccaneers were going to lean on a “next guy up” approach, Tucker should have already had a chance before Week 4.
And with the offense sputtering and Gainwell struggling to produce, there’s a strong case for changing that. Tucker has shown before that he can be more than just a short-yardage or goal-line option, and he may be one of the more explosive backs on the roster.
At this point, Tampa Bay could use a spark anywhere it can find one. Giving Tucker more snaps would at least let the Buccaneers see what he can offer.
If it works, they gain another weapon. If it doesn’t, nothing much changes.
But Robinson needs to try something, and Tucker should be part of that conversation moving forward.
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