The Tampa Bay Buccaneers knew they had one of the NFL’s elite backup plans at running back in 2025 with veteran Rachaad White behind starter Bucky Irving.
With Irving out for a second consecutive game against the Detroit Lions in Week 7 due to foot and shoulder injuries, you can make a solid argument there’s not much of a drop off with White on the field.
After White, things get a lot more dicey. That’s why the Buccaneers worked out 3 running backs and signed one of them, including former 1,000 yard rusher Jamaal Williams, and signed Michael Wiley to the practice squad.
“The Buccaneers signed RB Michael Wiley to the practice squad today after working out him, Jamaal Williams and Israel Abanikanda,” The NFL Network’s Michael Garafolo wrote on his official X account on October 14.
Irving is coming off a 1,000 yard rushing season as a rookie and White, who could cash in big in free agency in 2026, had over 1,500 yards of total offense in 2023 and over 1,000 yards of total offense in 2024.
Pac-10 Star Scored 28 TDs in College
Wiley, 5-foot-10 and 209 pounds, scored 28 career touchdowns at the University of Arizona that was split pretty evenly between rushing (16) and receiving (12) along with racking up 2,862 yards of total offense.
In college, he was probably best known for his performance in a win over rival Arizona State in the 2022 regular season finale in which he rushed for 214 yards and 3 touchdowns.
Wiley ran the 40 yard dash in a less-than-ideal 4.51 seconds at the NFL scouting combine and went undrafted in 2024. He spent his rookie season on the practice squad for the Washington Commanders and was one of the final cuts for the Kansas City Chiefs this preseason.
“Wiley has good size and can finish with some thump, but he’s missing key elements to be a successful NFL runner,” NFL draft analyst Lance Zierlein wrote in his 2024 pre-draft evaluation. ” … Wiley has some third-down potential but will need to prove he can play faster and with better vision to stay ahead of NFL defenses.”
Buccaneers Tried to Deal White in Offseason
The Buccaneers are thanking their lucky stars they still have White on the roster after trying to trade him ahead of the 2025 NFL draft.
Instead, he’s back for the final season of his 4-year, $5.12 million rookie contract.
While the Buccaneers have employed a “Next Man Up” philosophy at wide receiver after a rash of injuries to starters Mike Evans, Chris Godwin, Jalen McMillan and Emeka Egbuka, taking that same approach at running back probably won’t work.
In his fourth season, White, a 2022 third round pick out of Arizona State, is also finally starting to overcome his one big bugaboo from the first 3 seasons of his career. In that time, he has consistently struggled to keep his yards per carry above 4.0 — kind of The Mendoza Line for NFL running backs. This season, he’s averaging exactly 4.0 yards per carry.
Through 6 games, including the first 4 at the backup to Irving, White has 54 carries for 214 rushing yards and 4 touchdowns to go with 15 receptions for 85 yards.
Like Heavy Sports’s content? Be sure to follow us.
This article was originally published on Heavy Sports
The post Buccaneers Sign 28-TD RB After Bucky Irving’s Injury appeared first on Heavy Sports.