Todd Bowles Encouraged By Bucs’ Run Game

If Bucs head coach Todd Bowles gave new offensive coordinator Liam Coen a list of objectives when he hired him this offseason, fixing the team’s league-worst run game was surely at the top of the list.

It’s only been a couple of weeks of training camp and one preseason game, but early returns are positive. Bowles said as much after Saturday’s preseason-opening 17-14 win over the Bengals in Cincinnati.

“It was encouraging to get going,” Bowles said. “We moved the ball pretty good after the first series. And, you know, we got into kind of a flow and a little run, little pass, so that was encouraging.”

Bucs RB Bucky Irving – Photo by: USA Today

There was plenty for Todd Bowles and Liam Coen to like about Tampa Bay’s run game in the preseason opener. Overall, the Bucs ran 32 times for 136 yards, which was good for an average of 4.3 yards per carry. And remember, this was without starting running back Rachaad White, who was one of the many starters who was held out of action at Paycor Stadium.

It was rookie running back Bucky Irving getting the start in the backfield for Tampa Bay, and he showcased a lot of the attributes that the Bucs saw in him when they drafted him in the fourth round of this year’s NFL Draft. He ran six times for 28 yards and a touchdown, averaging 4.7 yards per attempt. After the game, Todd Bowles was plenty complimentary of his rookie running back.

“He had no jitters,” Bowles said. “He wasn’t nervous. He hit the holes well. He caught the ball well. He pass blocked well. I’ll check the tape for everything else, but I thought he had a good first outing.”

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Sean Tucker followed Irving, and he was among the most impressive players on the field all night. The second-year back ran 10 times for 68 yards (6.8 avg.), with a long of 26 yards. He did a whole lot to help his case for making the 53-man roster, but he’ll need to keep things going as the rest of the preseason unfolds.

Undrafted rookies DJ Williams and Ramon Jefferson chipped in late, even if their overall numbers don’t jump off the page. Williams had 10 carries for 29 yards, while Jefferson ran twice for six yards, including the 3-yard game-winning touchdown with 57 seconds to go.

Bucs RB Bucky Irving and C Graham Barton – Photo by: USA Today

Rookies Graham Barton and Elijah Klein, as well as second-year guard Cody Mauch and veterans Ben Bredeson and Justin Skule were all key in helping the run game get going. It really was the rushing attack that opened things up for Tampa Bay on Saturday night. Quarterback Kyle Trask, who started in place of Baker Mayfield in Cincinnati, echoed Todd Bowles’ praise for the performance of the run game.

“That’s awesome,” Trask said. “I mean, when you can get the running game going like that, that’s all you can ask for that opens up the entire offense. And that’s all just assignment and communication, going to the right ID points, getting all the right checks in… I thought we did a great job of that all night.”

A Long Way To Go, But Todd Bowles Is Right To Be Encouraged

The Bucs had the league’s worst run game in Todd Bowles’ first year as the team’s head coach, which was part of what ended Byron Leftwich’s time as Tampa Bay’s offensive coordinator. Dave Canales worked wonders with Baker Mayfield when he was hired in 2023, but the run game – while slightly improved – still finished last in the NFL. So, when Canales left to take the Panthers’ head coaching job, Bowles needed a new coordinator who could fix that aspect of the team’s offense.

Bucs GM Jason Licht, HC Todd Bowles and OC Liam Coen – Photo by: Cliff Welch/PR

Liam Coen, who comes from the Sean McVay coaching tree, has the profile that Bowles was looking for. His scheme is more diverse, with a wide set of plays that come out of the same look. That keeps the defense guessing, which should eliminate some of the predictability the Bucs had with their run game under Canales in 2023. Offensive and defensive players alike have pointed that out as the big strength of the scheme throughout training camp thus far, and early signs on Saturday night were good.

And it’s also important to keep in mind that this is still the preseason, and there’s a long way to go. With that said, though, Coen – like all coordinators – was keeping things pretty vanilla against Cincinnati on Saturday and likely will continue to do so as the exhibition slate continues. The evolution of the run game, combined with the eventual introduction of Rachaad White to the mix, should lead to even better results.

So, yes, there’s still plenty of work to be done and a lot of ground to cover given how bad the rushing production was last year as Tampa Bay finished 32nd out of 32 teams. But Todd Bowles is right to be encouraged by the start on Saturday night – and you should be, too.

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