Joe reported earlier this week that Bucs running back Rachaad White was having a terrible time gaining yards prior to contact.
Despite running behind the exact same offensive line as White, Bucky Irving had no such problem.
Furthermore, White’s dismal performance was accompanied by scapegoat Robert Hainsey’s inaction.
Joe isn’t surprised that White is last among running backs in terms of yards per carry before contact. White’s yards per carry before contact in 2022 and 2023 ranked him 39th and 44th in the league, respectively, among running backs. This summer, Joe also mentioned how awful White’s advanced metrics were.
Thus, despite being sad, White’s tumble to No. 51 is not shocking. Well, not to Joe, anyhow.
But Irving has performed well, while White has had difficulty with this statistic. Irving was behind only Crows runaround QB Lamar Jackson in this area after two games.
Now that the NFL teams have played three games in 2024, Pro-Football-Reference has updated its advanced metrics to reflect those matches. White’s stats have somewhat decreased. Irving’s is still the best running back with yards before contact per attempt, but he has lost some of his consistency.
That would be the Colts’ Jonathan Taylor. Before making contact, he averages four yards per carry. Saquon Barkley, the player the Bucs will face this week, is second among rushing backs with 3.7 yards gained before contact.