Second-year running back Bucky Irving showed off his pass-catching prowess against the Pittsburgh Steelers on Saturday. During the preseason clash, Irving was lined up wide in a one-on-one. He utilized a stutter-step off the line and ran a go. Irving gained outside leverage and Teddy Bridgewater dropped the ball perfectly in front of Irving to secure the touchdown, providing the Bucs with an early 7-0 advantage in Week Two of the preseason. When the ball is in the air, Irving takes the mindset that regardless of who the defender is, the pigskin is his.
"That is my mindset," said Irving. "Whenever the ball is in the air, I can make a play and I am willing to do whatever to come down with the ball. Just being able to trust the play call and the quarterback, knowing that he [Bridgewater] is going to put the ball where it needs to be and me also. Just being able to go out there and walk through it and then execute on the field, knowing that we have a linebacker that is trying to press coverage, and having a quarterback that trusted me to make the play."
While at Oregon, Irving led all FBS running backs in receptions with 56 during the 2023 campaign and he tallied 785 receiving yards and five receiving touchdowns on 95 career receptions during his time in Eugene. Highly touted during the draft process for his ball skills, Irving continued the trend in the NFL on Saturday. With reliable hands, Irving is hard to bring down in the open field off underneath throws and has the athleticism to line up wide. With injuries to both Chris Godwin and Jalen McMillan, additional opportunities could arise in the aerial attack for Irving to maximize.
"Whatever I have to do to help this team win football games, whether it is special teams, whether it is catching the ball out of the backfield or wherever they need me to be, I will be there because I want to be there for my team and win football games," noted Irving.
