(Photo by Julio Aguilar/Getty Images)
The Bucs’ 2023 run game is dead. The epitaph should read, “we should have thrown Rachaad White the ball more.”
As a between-the-tackles running back, White is serviceable but not a difference-maker. That would not be a huge problem if Tampa Bay’s offensive line was not the worst run-blocking unit in the NFL.
As a receiver, however, White is pure electricity. He is second only to Christian McCaffrey in receiving yards (326) and has forced 17 missed tackles in 35 receptions according to Pro Football Focus. For context, White has just 23 missed tackles forced on 132 rush attempts.
White is averaging 8.8 yards per target, which is nearly triple the Bucs’ average rush yards per attempt. Quite simply, White is a far more productive receiver than he is a rusher.
The 49ers are a juggernaut offensively and defensively. With league’s best scoring defense and a top-five offense, San Francisco is not a team where inefficiency can be tolerated.
Running for gains of one to three yards is a key ingredient for a major loss on Sunday. Instead, the Bucs have to dial up a plan to get the ball to White as a receiver, where his talent is most likely to express itself with big plays and big gains.
