NFL analyst suggests Buccaneers cut young running back in bold offseason move

The Tampa Bay Buccaneers have a few decisions to make this offseason when it comes to the salary cap. The team doesn't have a lot of space, and while they can certainly make more of it with restructures and extensions, some of that clearance will have to come with cap casualties.

The Bucs currently have $8,399,732 in cap space, per Over the Cap. They'll need to free up some space this offseason, and to do that, they could make some tough cuts. A few names have been thrown into the ring often by NFL analysts and fans, such as cornerback Jamel Dean and safety Jordan Whitehead, but an ESPN analyst suggested a bolder cut from the Buccaneers.

Tampa Bay Buccaneers running back Rachaad White carries the ball for a 7-yard gain in the second half against the Los Angeles Chargers. | Jayne Kamin-Oncea-Imagn Images

ESPN's Aaron Schatz went over a bold offseason projection for every team, and for the Buccaneers, he had them making quite the bold cut — he suggested that the team should cut running back Rachaad White.

Here's what Schatz wrote about the Buccaneers and White:

"The Buccaneers enter free agency with only $2.2 million in cap space. They need to make some room and one way to do it is to say goodbye to White. The running back is entering the final year of his rookie contract, so the Buccaneers can cut him for $3.3 million in cap savings with less than $250,000 in dead money.

White is still a useful player, but he gradually lost the No. 1 spot to Bucky Irving in 2024. White had positive rushing yards over expected, according to NFL Next Gen Stats, but he was far behind Irving. (White had 0.34 RYOE per carry, while Irving was at 0.94.) White was an excellent receiving back, ranking fifth in total receiving value by my DYAR metric, but Irving was eighth. The Buccaneers need to save money somewhere, and this is where it wouldn't hurt too much."

As Schatz mentioned, White would save $3,325,000 in cap with a cut and cost $227,727 in dead money against the salary cap. On one hand, this could make sense — Bucky Irving has proven to be a much better runner and can also work in the receiving game, limiting White's effectiveness. Despite that, though, White showed some flashes in both the run game and passing game and has also found tremendous value as a pass blocker, so the Bucs could still use him in a number of situations.

Rachaad White's role this season will certainly be one of the more interesting observations once the team gets into training camp and prepares for the regular season — if he's wearing red and pewter at all.

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