Rachaad White #1 of the Tampa Bay Buccaneers (Photo by Kevin C. Cox/Getty Images)
Rachaad White is entering a pivotal year in his career.
The veteran running back has been a starter for the Tampa Bay Buccaneers since midway through his rookie season and has helped turn around the team’s rushing attack. After the Buccaneers ranked last in rushing in back-to-back years in 2022 and 2023, White — along with rookie Bucky Irving — helped lead Tampa Bay to the fourth-best rushing attack in the league.
However, he enters the final year of his rookie contract with an uncertain future — especially when one considers that Irving ran for over 1,100 yards in his rookie season.
“I think my biggest thing is to attack every day,” says White in a one-on-one interview with RG when asked what his mindset is entering this season. “Show them who I am. At the end of the day, you can only control what you can control. You have to go out there and prove it every day. I look at that in all walks of life, so I’m just going out with my mindset, just attack every day, show them who I am, and let the chips fall where they may.”
Rushing Duo Brings Results Without Ego
Irving gained more and more of the share of carries as the season progressed, culminating in a 17-carry, 77-yard performance in the team’s playoff loss to the Washington Commanders — a game that he started. By comparison, White posted one carry and had two receptions.
However, White is still more than confident in himself, coming off of the most efficient season of his career. The Arizona State alum posted 613 rushing yards while averaging 4.3 yards per carry.
“They’re going to fall very, very well,” says White of the chips in his future. “They have been in my life before, and I just know what I bring to the table.”
Both White and Irving have a great relationship, with the latter recently complimenting his more experienced teammate for helping him adjust to the NFL.
White says the nickname for the rushing duo is the “Bad Boys,” paying tribute to the famous film series starring Will Smith and Martin Lawrence.
“We got our Bad Boys handshake and things like that that we do,” says White of his relationship with Irving. “That’s our big name for ourselves. We call each other Bad Boys, for sure. It’s been amazing, our relationship is great.”
The 26-year-old details how he and the 22-year-old Irving are always in communication and they talk “all the time.”
While White is certainly proud of the job he and Irving have done in lifting the Buccaneers into an elite rushing attack, he makes sure to mention that it’s a “team” effort and gives major credit to their offensive line.
“We know what we both bring to the table, but me and him, we’re not one of them egos and pride backfield,” says White. “We like to give credit where credit is due. A lot of things have transpired with the rushing attack. It’s a lot of things that go into it. Me and him, we like to give our whole line a lot of credit. We feel like we got a great O-line and we all got better throughout the year together in unison.”
White’s Offseason: Leaner, Stronger, More Mobile
White has always been a bigger back at 6 feet tall and around 214 pounds. However, one of the biggest things he’s worked on in the offseason is getting leaner. He’s also working on his hip mobility as he looks to be “bigger and stronger” entering his fourth season.
The veteran back says he wanted to “transition” the weight the way that he wanted to. What that means is being “stronger” and being “able to move right.”
“I’m ready to see what the year holds,” says White. “I’m coming into the last year of my deal, I’m ready to prove what I got and what I got going on.”
White Brings Camp to Orlando for the First Time
As he gets ready for the start of his fourth season, White will be hosting a two-day youth football camp at Heroes Community Park in Orlando, Florida on May 31 and June 1. The camp is open to kids of all ages between Kindergarten and 12th grade. White and other NFL veterans will teach camp attendees key football fundamentals, and the final day — Community Fun Day — will include community flag football scrimmages and a meet-and-greet with White and other NFL players.
It’s his first-ever camp in Orlando after previously hosting it in his hometown of Kansas City, Missouri.
While White wouldn’t go into full detail about which NFL players are appearing at the camp, he did give a big hint that it could be a big star such as Washington Commanders quarterback Jayden Daniels, White’s former teammate with the Arizona State Sun Devils.
“My boy should be there, star quarterback in this league,” says White. “I’m trying to find some hints. He’s down there in D.C., cooking it up. If you can pick up on hints, they should know who I’m alluding to. That’s my boy, that’s the biggest thing I can do, I don’t want to name drop and do too much.”
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