Rachaad White Will Be Bucs’ Space Invader Next Year

As the offseason program began for the Bucs on Monday, Rachaad White met with Liam Coen and they’re on the same page about improving Tampa Bay’s ground game.

“Our first meeting with Coach Liam this morning – just great energy,” White said. “Great guy, great human being, just very smart. We were just talking about different things we’re going to do, we want to do. Get guys in certain positions, certain space. He already knows a lot of coverages that we see, obviously the biggest emphasis that we all put on and what he starting the meeting off with is (the) run game.”

White was blunt and honest about the ground game not living up to expectations last year despite the fact he almost became the team’s first 1,000-yard rusher since Doug Martin last accomplished that feat in 2014. With that said, everyone is committed to turning it around while also having the same potent passing game featuring Pro Bowlers Baker Mayfield and Mike Evans and 1,000-yard receiver Chris Godwin.

“The run game’s been bad here for I don’t know how many years now, but it’s been a few years plus,” White admitted. “So that’s our biggest emphasis. With that comes efficiency, we want to be well efficient and then everything else. Mike, Chris – all of our receivers are going to keep what doing what they’re doing, and the running backs are going to be an extension of that. (He) put a great emphasis on the run game here.”

Tampa Bay will likely have a new starter or two this year along the offensive line, as well as new offensive line coaches in order to help boost the production in the running game. The run game wrinkles in Coen’s new offense should also help.

Coen plans on deploying more three-receiver sets in Tampa Bay this year and fewer two-tight end sets than former offensive coordinator Dave Canales ran last season. The plan is to create more space for White to operate in between the tackles as he’ll face lighter boxes with teams being forced to use more nickel and dime defenses instead of using three linebackers in base defense.

Getting Rachaad White Out In Space Will Further Increase His Production

While Tampa Bay struggled running the ball, the team more than made up for it by using Rachaad White in the passing game. After Mike Evans and Chris Godwin, Rachaad White was third on the team in receiving yards with 549, and added another three scores through the air. There a couple of big-time players that the Bucs have options to get the ball to in the passing game and White proved he should be in that group as well.

White thrived as a receiver, whether he was going out and running routes or being set up in the screen game. It’s evident that the more he’s out in space, the better it is for the Bucs and White’s production.

New offensive coordinator Liam Coen also wants to get White out in space more, isolated in favorable matchups, such as going one-on-one against linebackers in coverage.

“I’m for sure looking forward to that,” White said of getting out in space more often. “Obviously, I do want to be out in space a lot. I feel like I thrive well out in space. Liam showed clips of that, too. Over time… [Liam] wasn’t there, but like Todd Gurley and guys in the West Coast offense, [Darrell] Henderson – we’ve seen guys catching touchdowns out wide in empty [sets] matched up against a linebacker.

“Of course that’s huge, as well as just learning, so yeah, I’m excited for that. I’ll be prepared for that and I’m pretty sure it will happen.”