Tampa Bay Buccaneers general manager Jason Licht recently praised running back Rachaad White as a "stud" who can carry the load in the backfield.
As the Bucs' offseason program kicks off this week, White was asked about those comments and sitting atop the depth chart at this stage.
"For me, I'm blessed that Mr. Licht feels that way about me, honestly," White said. "I expect myself to be a stud -- that's just kind of who I am. I put that kind of pressure and expectation on myself, especially with the journey I had to take. That feels good, like I said, that Mr. Licht and everybody upstairs believes in me. It's just up to me -- I've got a great opportunity ahead of me, as well as the team, so it's up to me to do what I do."
White flashed potential as a rookie, generating 481 yards and a touchdown on 129 carries and catching 50 passes for 290 yards and two more scores. The bulk of his production came in the final eight weeks as the Bucs gave White more reps, cutting into Leonard Fournette's snaps.
As we sit now, White is the clear RB1 in the Bucs' backfield with Ke'Shawn Vaughn, veteran Chase Edmonds -- who inked a low-cost deal in free agency -- and fellow ex-Dolphin Patrick Laird battling for jobs.
White, however, knows he must prove he's worth the workhorse load every day.
"For me, it's just a blessing to be able to have an opportunity," he said. "For me, I think that's how I go about things -- to be RB1. I wouldn't say I'm RB1 yet -- we've got a lot of great guys in the room. We're all going to compete. I like the energy, I like the good vibes in the room right now [with] Chase -- meeting him earlier -- and 'Sneak' (Ke'Shawn Vaughn) and Pat. It's a good room. I'm pretty proud of that. But being able to compete and things like that -- that's all you can ask for: an opportunity in life."
The true gauge of whether the Bucs trust White with the RB1 gig will come next week during the draft. In a deep class at the position, will Licht snag a rusher to share carries or bulk up on other positions of need -- and they are aplenty in Tampa -- leaving White to enter training camp as the clear top dog?
