Bucky Irving’s stock has taken a real hit heading into 2026, and the latest Pro Football Focus running back rankings make that plain. The Tampa Bay back landed 17th on the list, tucked behind Dallas’ Javonte Williams and Cincinnati’s Chase Brown, a steep drop from the eighth-place spot he held a year ago.
That slide tracks with how rough 2025 was for Irving. Pro Football Focus pointed to injuries and a drop in production, noting that his 3.4 yards per carry was the lowest among running backs with at least 100 carries.
Still, there was one area where he held up: as a receiver, Irving posted 1.49 yards per route run, which ranked eighth among qualified backs. PFF’s Dalton Wasserman and Max Chadwick summed up the outlook this way: “Primarily due to injury, Irving suffered a letdown in 2025 after a spectacular rookie season that saw him rush for over 1,100 yards.
His 3.4 yards-per-carry mark was the lowest among running backs with at least 100 carries. Yet Irving still managed to make an impact as a receiver, tallying 1.49 yards per route run, eighth-best among qualified running backs.
The third-year pro will be looking for a major bounce-back in 2026.”
That’s a far cry from the praise Irving drew before last season. In 2025, former Pewter Reporter writer Trevor Sikkema wrote, “Irving was sensational as a rookie. He didn’t quite have the volume stats of other running backs in this list’s range, but his efficiency scores were that of a top-10 back.
He earned a 90.0 PFF rushing grade with 62 forced missed tackles and led the NFL with 3.93 yards after contact per attempt (among running backs with at least 150 carries). He also posted a 90.2 PFF receiving grade, the second-highest mark at the position.”
The skepticism isn’t limited to PFF, either. ESPN’s Jeremy Fowler, in his annual poll of NFL executives, coaches and scouts, also left Irving off the position’s top-10 composite list.
Twenty other backs received votes, but Irving did not. That’s a notable change from 2025, when he was the first back to miss the top 10.
At that point, an anonymous NFL coordinator told Fowler, “Combination of speed, quicks and contact balance. Heck of a runner.
Rarely goes down on first contact.”
That last part is exactly what faded in 2025. Irving’s yards after contact per carry fell by more than 40%, and his missed tackles forced rate dropped from 25.4% in 2024 to 17.9% last season.
Without elite straight-line speed, the ability to stay upright through contact was a huge part of what made him so dangerous at Oregon and during his rookie year. When that trait slipped, he looked more like a change-of-pace, third-down option.
There is still reason for Tampa Bay to hope for a rebound. Irving appears healthy again, and the Buccaneers have also added Kenny Gainwell on a strong contract this offseason to help lighten the load. But Gainwell brings a similar profile as a shifty receiving back who can make defenders miss in space and create explosive plays.
That leaves Tampa Bay with a real decision if Irving’s early 2026 form doesn’t improve. Offensive coordinator Zac Robinson could pivot to a Gainwell-led backfield, with Irving sliding into a “1B” role. For now, the bigger question is whether 2025 was just an injury-riddled stumble or something more permanent.
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