Why Did Rachaad White Play More Than Usual?

What They're Saying

PFF's Nathan Jahnke: "Bucky Irving was rotated out a little more often compared to usual, particularly late in the game. This was both after he lost a fumble and he caught a 72-yard touchdown pass."

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That wording seems to indicate the Bucs might have been punishing Irving for the fumble or resting him after the TD catch. But neither looked like playing time catalysts.

Yes, White did get the first backfield touch on the drive following Irving's fumble. But Irving also made his TD catch on the fourth play of that drive. So that seems more coincidental to the rotation than causal.

And the possession following that found Irving getting the only RB touch.

Let's zoom out for a minute and look at the playing-time facts from Sunday.

How Did the RB Snaps Compare?

Irving did play a season-low 61% snap share against the Eagles. Here's how his first four weeks have compared with White's:

White's first touch came on Bucs' third possession, in the first quarter. That didn't seem out of line with the previous three weeks. Here's when White got his first touch in those games:

• Week 1: late in the third possession, second quarter
• Week 2: first possession, second play
• Week 3: first possession

What Differed in This Game?

I have yet to see a coach explanation for why the backfield playing time shifted in this one, but Sunday's game featured two key differences vs. the first three:

1. Tampa missed Mike Evans (hamstring).
2. The Bucs trailed by double digits for most of the game.

Both those factors would seem to motivate getting another experienced pass catcher on the field. Yet even when the Bucs were in full desperation mode on their final possession, we still saw three touches for each RB.

So What's This Mean?

Irving still out-carried White by nine in this game and totaled 20 touches. White matched his five targets, but there's no reason to worry about Irving's role. At worst -- for Irving -- this might signal Bucs coaches trying to ease his load a little. (Though 20 touches would seem to counter that.)

And although the playing time marked a season high for White (42%), neither his 11 opportunities nor 10 touches marked a high. He beat both numbers by one in Week 2 at Houston.

So we'll see what ensuing games say about the usage for each RB. But the takeaway for now is that Irving remains an easy start and White might become more usable as a deep-league flex option, especially now that byes are beginning.

A Week 5 trip to Seattle finds a tough passing matchup that could make White an attractive option for Bucs game planners again.

One Other Factor to Watch

Irving did leave briefly mid-game after hurting an ankle. He returned for the second half and stayed involved to the final drive, so it didn't seem like a big deal, but Rick Stroud of the Tampa Bay Times shared this Monday:

"When asked if Bucky Irving was among the injured players he was concerned about, Todd Bowles said, 'Yeah, he's one of them.'"

We'll watch Irving's participation in practice this week.