Buccaneers shut out of ESPN’s top running backs ranking

The Tampa Bay Buccaneers have a deeper and more versatile running back room than they did a year ago, but that did not translate into national recognition in ESPN’s latest positional rankings.

ESPN’s Jeremy Fowler released the outlet’s 2026 ranking of the NFL’s top running backs, a list compiled through votes from league executives, coaches, and scouts. Voters submitted their own top-10 lists, and ESPN compiled the results using top-10 votes, composite average, follow-up interviews, film study, and research. Bijan Robinson took the No. 1 spot, followed by Jahmyr Gibbs, Saquon Barkley, Christian McCaffrey, and Jonathan Taylor, rounding out the top five. No Buccaneers running back made the top 10, honorable mentions, or received votes.

That is not a shock, but it does create an obvious storyline entering training camp. Tampa Bay has Bucky Irving, Kenneth Gainwell, and Sean Tucker as its top three backs, giving the Buccaneers a room with explosiveness, receiving ability, and short-yardage value. What the group does not yet have is a nationally established, top-10 running back entering 2026.

Irving remains the most important player in the room. He missed seven games in 2025 because of foot and shoulder injuries, and he led the Buccaneers with 173 rushing attempts while scoring only one rushing touchdown. After returning from injury, Irving ceded touches to Tucker and Rachaad White, but his upside still gives Tampa Bay a dynamic lead-back option if he is healthy.

Health will be the key. Irving is recovering from offseason shoulder surgery and did not take part in the mandatory minicamp June 16-18, but the expectation is that he will be ready during training camp. He sat out Weeks 5-12 last season because of a shoulder subluxation and sprained foot, then handled a normal workload down the stretch with 113 touches for 435 scrimmage yards and two total touchdowns over the final six games.

The Buccaneers also changed the shape of the backfield by allowing White to leave in free agency and replacing him with Gainwell. Tampa Bay signed Gainwell after his breakout 2025 season with the Pittsburgh Steelers on a two-year, $14 million deal. Gainwell posted 1,023 yards from scrimmage and eight total touchdowns last season while giving Pittsburgh value as both a runner and receiver. Gainwell’s arrival is big-time because he gives Tampa Bay a proven passing-game back and a player who can keep the offense flexible. He set career highs in rushing yards, receiving yards, and touchdowns in 2025, and his ability to play on passing downs should help new offensive coordinator Zac Robinson build packages that do not reveal run or pass tendencies too early.

Tucker gives the Buccaneers a third option with touchdown production. Tampa Bay re-signed him after he received a restricted free agent qualifying offer, and the team announced that Tucker led the Buccaneers with eight total touchdowns in 2025. The Buccaneers also noted that he has surpassed 300 rushing yards in a reserve role in each of the past two seasons.

Tucker’s career arc gives Tampa Bay another reason for optimism. After signing as an undrafted free agent out of Syracuse in 2023, he played sparingly as a rookie before earning a larger role over the past two seasons. During the 2024-25 season, he rushed 136 times for 628 yards and nine touchdowns while adding 17 catches for 143 yards and two scores.

The absence from ESPN’s top-10 list does not mean the Buccaneers are weak at running back. It means the room still needs a defining season. Irving has to prove he can stay healthy and handle a lead role. Gainwell has to show his Pittsburgh production translates to Tampa Bay. Tucker has to prove his touchdown production can come with more consistent down-to-down efficiency.

If Irving returns healthy, Gainwell keeps producing as a dual-threat weapon, and Tucker remains a reliable finisher, the Buccaneers’ backfield could look better than its national reputation suggests. ESPN’s list shows where the league views Tampa Bay’s running backs right now. The 2026 season will determine whether that changes.

This article originally appeared on Bucs Wire: Buccaneers shut out of ESPN’s top running backs ranking