More production in the passing game?

Hey, Warren Sharp isn’t the only guy pumping out good statistical information as we crawl toward the start of training camp in less than three weeks.

So too does Aaron Schatz, the inventor of DVOA and former big shot at Football Outsiders (RIP).

Of course, Schatz, who publishes the Aaron Schatz’s FTN Football Almanac 2026, gets some help from other statheads, including from Alex Blickle.

There, Blickle explains he’s not much of a Zac Robinson believer (Blickle thought the Bucs may have been better off sticking with Josh Grizzard over Robinson — guess he never watched Kirk Cousins regularly carve up Todd Bowles’ defense). However, Blickle does believe that Robinson, the Bucs’ new play caller, will get Bucs running backs a whole lot more involved in the passing game than Josh Grizzard ever did.

Robinson … can successfully incorporate running backs into the passing game. Bijan Robinson was fifth in receiving yards … among running backs in 2024 before finishing second to Christian McCaffrey last year. Why does this matter? Because utilization of the running backs in the passing game is one of the biggest areas where the Bucs saw a drop-off last season. In 2023, their running backs combined for 82 receptions, 641 receiving yards. In 2024, the backs combined for 107 receptions [and] 894 receiving yards. But last year, despite having both Bucky Irving and Rachaad White, who specialize in this area, they combined for 78 receptions [and] 529 receiving yards.

Well, Blickle must remember that Bucky Irving missed a large chunk of playing time last year due to injury. So that stat is a tad misleading.

Notice, [Bucs running backs not producing much in the pass game last year] wasn’t for lack of trying. In fact, it was moreso the opposite. The most popular critique of Grizzard’s offense was that it was predictable, including in the way he used the backs in the passing game. The volume was there for White and Irving; they just rarely had space to do anything with it. If Zac Robinson can create some easy-button plays for Baker involving Bucky Irving and Kenneth Gainwell the way he did with Bijan Robinson, that really would help.

Well, if Robinson is able to get Kenneth Gainwell, Sean Tucker and Bucky involved in the passing game, that will certainly help out the Bucs receivers.

If defenses have to worry about Bucs running backs catching passes out of the backfield, that ought to mean more opportunities for Baker Mayfield to find open receivers.

And yeah, Joe thinks that’s a good thing.