EmekaEgbuka

Matt Matera·Oct 10

The Bucs are inching closer and closer to a proper rotation of the running backs.

Bucky Irving had a tremendous game, rushing for 165 yards with one rushing touchdown and one receiving score. His 54% of the snaps was the second fewest he’s had this season, with the other coming in Week 3, however, that was more dictated by the Bucs needing to throw late to get back into the game. It’s apparent that less is more with Irving, as he looked like the 2024 version of himself. Less snaps means he can stay fresh. And that leads to ripping off 72 yards like he did last night on a career-long run in the third quarter to set up Emeka Egbuka’s 14-yard end-around score.

Nathan Jahnke·Oct 9

The Buccaneers continue a split at their third receiver spot: Tez Johnson and Ted Hurst III were in a constant rotation throughout the game. Hurst is a third-round rookie who was generally considered a starter over the first three weeks. He played 74.9% of offensive snaps, which wasn’t far behind Chris Godwin Jr.’s 77.5% or Emeka Egbuka’s 81.7%. Tez Johnson was the fourth wide receiver on the depth chart, playing 25.1%. Hurst generally played X, Egbuka Z and Godwin in the slot, but all three were aligned all over the place. Last week, Tampa Bay made a clear change, with Johnson playing 56.5% and Hurst 38.7%. This week, the split between Hurst and Johnson was nearly even, with the two consistently rotating in and out. Over the last two weeks, when Hurst has been on the field, he’s largely stuck at X, rather than moving around like the first three weeks. When Johnson has been on the field, he’s primarily played X but has moved around, similar to Hurst in the first three weeks. There was also a slight tendency for Johnson to play on early downs and Hurst on later downs. This change has not affected Egbuka or Godwin. They are both consistently on the field in 11 personnel, and Tampa Bay has used 12 personnel to give them a break at times. That includes some plays where Egbuka and Godwin are both off the field. Hurst was a popular late-round pick in deep leagues after significant off-season hype, but he won’t see fantasy value in this new role from the past two weeks.