If the Tampa Bay Buccaneers truly want to trade veteran running back Rachaad White, it shouldn’t take a PhD to figure out which teams would be the best landing spots.
Start with teams that need running backs. Pare that down to teams that think they could make the playoffs that need running backs. There’s your sweet spot.
If the Buccaneers and general manager Jason Licht truly think White is expendable, then that’s where they can cash in.
Bleacher Report’s Alex Kay identified one of those teams as the Chicago Bears, where he predicts the Buccaneers could trade White and get a fifth round pick in return.
Currently, every Bears running back listed on the depth chart behind starter D’Andre Swift is dealing with injury issues. White has only missed one game in his first 3 seasons.
“While the Bears added talent at nearly every position, the running back spot remains largely unchanged from last year,” Kay wrote on August 21. “That isn’t a good thing, as the Bears ranked in the bottom quarter of the league in rushing. D’Andre Swift failed to provide the spark Chicago was hoping for and doesn’t seem cut out to be a full-time starter. Rather than running it back with Swift leading a platoon that also includes the disappointing Roschon Johnson and rookie Kyle Monangai, the Bears should work to bring in a proven back like Rachaad White… He’s well worth a fifth-round pick, a move that would cap off Chicago’s major offensive renovations and massively upgrade the backfield.”
Hard Luck Situation For White On Buccaneers
In some ways, White is looking for a new home because he was such a great teammate and such a good running back.
When the Buccaneers drafted Oregon’s Bucky Irving in the fourth round (No. 125 overall) of the 2024 NFL draft, it was ostensibly done to serve as either White’s primary backup or create a 1-2 punch similar to what the Detroit Lions have with David Montgomery and Jahmyr Gibbs.
White went all in on the situation and Irving, taking the young running back under his wing and becoming highly invested in his success — like everyone else he just didn’t know how good his young protege was.
As a rookie, Irving wasn’t just the Buccaneers’ best running back, he was one of the best running backs in the NFL with 1,122 rushing yards on the way to 1,514 yards of total offense and 8 total touchdowns.
White Became ‘Expendable’ After Season
With just one year remaining on the 4-year, $5.12 million contract he signed after the Buccaneers drafted him in the third round (No. 91 overall) in the 2022 NFL draft, the time is now to get a great return on White.
Don’t forget this is the player that was the primary starter for the Buccaneers the last 2 seasons with over 1,500 yards of total offense in 2023 and over 1,000 yards of total offense in 2024 despite splitting carries with White.
White’s value to the Buccaneers might come into full focus during the NFL draft in April, when ESPN’s Adam Schefter listed him among players headed into the final season of their rookie contracts who could be “expendable” via trade.
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