Bucs News: Sean Tucker To Get More Carries
Tampa Bay Buccaneers offensive coordinator Zac Robinson said Thursday that he wants to get running back Sean Tucker more involved in the offense, even though Tucker has taken just one offensive snap in the two games he has been active.
“100%, we’ve got to get Tuck going,” Robinson told reporters. “He is special with the ball in his hands, as you guys have seen from his time here. That’s on us as coaches to find spots to mix him in.”
Tucker missed the season opener at Cincinnati with a hamstring injury. He was listed as doubtful on the final injury report that week and was among the team’s seven inactives. He returned for the Week 2 game against Cleveland but played only on special teams, logging a single snap in that phase. In last Sunday’s 23-16 loss to Minnesota, he played one offensive snap and seven special teams snaps and did not touch the ball.
Tucker sits third on the depth chart behind Bucky Irving and Kenny Gainwell. Irving played 36 snaps against the Vikings and Gainwell played 32. Robinson offered a similar message about Gainwell’s limited role, saying the flow of the first three games has pushed a larger share of the work to Irving. Gainwell is the highest-paid back on the roster, but he has struggled to find consistent touches.
The comments come at a difficult moment for the Buccaneers. Tampa Bay is 0-3 and will be without quarterback Baker Mayfield for at least three weeks. Mayfield dislocated his right thumb on a fourth-and-1 play late in the loss to Minnesota when he was hit by linebacker Blake Cashman while throwing. An MRI showed no ligament or tendon damage, and Mayfield’s earliest possible return is Week 7 against Carolina.
Jalon Daniels will start in his place. Daniels went undrafted out of Kansas, where he played six seasons and became the program’s first four-time team captain. He beat out Jake Browning for the backup job in training camp. He is expected to start at least the next three games, beginning Sunday when Tampa Bay hosts Green Bay.
With a new starter under center, the Buccaneers may lean more heavily on the running game in the coming weeks. That could create more room for a third back, although Robinson has not yet carved out a defined role for Tucker. Irving has handled the bulk of the work so far and has been the most productive of the three, while Gainwell has seen his usage vary depending on game script.
For Fantasy managers, Tucker is a name to keep on the radar. Until Robinson backs up his words with actual playing time, Tucker does not need to be rostered in most formats. His value would rise quickly if Irving or Gainwell missed time, but for now he remains a depth piece in a backfield that already has two established options ahead of him.
