If the Tampa Bay Buccaneers are going to have a comeback year in 2026 after totally blowing it in 2025, they're already going to have to do it without franchise staples like Mike Evans and Lavonte David. And the latest update from head coach Todd Bowles indicates they're also going to have to do it with a major question mark surrounding yet another key player for the offense.
Running back Bucky Irving had a shoulder injury last season that he ended up playing through, to a degree. He played just 10 games last season, but after getting hurt in Week 4, he came back to play Week 13 through Week 18 to close out the season.
After the year was done, he had surgery to repair the injury and his timeline has widely been assumed to have him back on the field for training camp in July. Todd Bowles may have just poured a bucket of cold water on that idea, causing some confusion and concern in the process.
Todd Bowles provides concerning update on Buccaneers RB Bucky Irving
Bucs HC Bowles: Bucky Irving (shoulder) expected to return sometime "during summer or fall."
— Underdog NFL (@UnderdogNFL) May 26, 2026
Todd Bowles says that Bucky Irving's timeline for returning to the field is sometime "during summer or fall", which is about as vague as it can possibly get at this point.
Irving was one of the most exciting young running backs in the league back in his rookie season in 2024 when he racked up 1,514 yards from scrimmage and eight total touchdowns. His production obviously took a massive hit last year as he dealt with the injury, but the expectation has been that he would return to form in 2026 and form a fantastic and dynamic duo with veteran free agent addition Kenneth Gainwell.
Now, with Bowles giving such a vague projection for Irving's return to the field, the Bucs might have to get started this season without Irving at all. At least, that's the implication of saying that it's possible that he doesn't return until the fall.
Irving has been doing some work on the side field at Bucs OTAs, but his absence is obviously a notable one to keep an eye on heading into this season.
The Buccaneers' collapse late last season wasn't the fault of Irving, but having him at full strength could have helped tremendously. One area we saw him absolutely nosedive, likely due to the injury, was in the yards after contact department. He went from averaging 2.7 yards after contact per rushing attempt as a rookie in 2024 to just 1.6 yards after contact per attempt this past season.
And that was obviously with less volume in the carries department.
The Bucs undoubtedly knew they would need help in the depth department with Irving recovering, which is why they added Kenneth Gainwell in the first place. But I'm not sure they assumed they'd need Gainwell to lead the entire backfield to start the season.
The chances of this team making a comeback in 2026 after blowing it down the stretch of the 2025 season take a major hit if Irving isn't on the field or at full strength.
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