The Tampa Bay Buccaneers’ decision not to play the starters in their first preseason game of the year against the Tennessee Titans resulted in a 29-7 win. However, the victory was marred by an injury to running back Rachaad White, and his status for the Week 2 clash against the Pittsburgh Steelers remains uncertain.
Rachaad White Injured His Groin In Preseason Opener Against the Titans
White tweaked his groin during the first quarter of the Buccaneers’ preseason opener. Tampa Bay was up 3-0 when White suffered the injury on a 12-yard rushing attempt, and given the long-term issues associated with such injuries, he was ruled out for the rest of the game, finishing the night with 28 yards on six carries.
However, head coach Todd Bowles recently revealed that White hadn’t suffered a major issue and was a day-to-day with that groin injury.
“He’s just got a groin, he’s day to day,” Bowles said.
Given Bowles’ statement and the fact that White was able to stay in the game for a play before taking himself out, he is likely to be ready for Week 1 of the regular season.
Nevertheless, White has firmly taken a backseat to sophomore running back Bucky Irving in Tampa Bay. While his value as a pass catcher was once a key asset, it was consistently overshadowed by his inefficiency in the run game.
Irving quickly proved that the issue wasn’t the scheme, but rather execution, exposing White’s shortcomings with his own standout performance.
Bucky Irving highlight reel is ridiculous 🔥 pic.twitter.com/7h3reZD2FN
— Football’s Greatest Moments (@FBGreatMoments) August 4, 2025
White was RB39 while Irving was RB4 in our RB+ grading in 2024. In the playoff loss to the Commanders, Irving touched the ball on 19 of 30 snaps while White was given just three touches on 22 snaps. This profiles as a backfield moving away from White, and the longer he remains out, the more difficult it will be for him to reclaim the starting role.
If White does hope to reclaim a starting role, it may have to come with another team, barring an injury to Irving. And with Irving also showing strong receiving ability, White has become increasingly redundant in Tampa’s backfield and could be shipped if the Bucs receive a good offer.
Meanwhile, in his absence, Sean Tucker and Owen Wright were on the field for the Bucs against the Titans. The pair ran for 87 yards and a touchdown from 13 carries, and are expected to continue work in a committee against the Steelers on Saturday.
