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Bucky Irving quietly making his case for Rookie of the Year

This man is on fire.

By Connor Muldowney

Nov 24, 2024; East Rutherford, New Jersey, USA; Tampa Bay Buccaneers running back Bucky Irving (7) fights for yards as New York Giants cornerback Dru Phillips (22) tackles during the first half at MetLife Stadium. Mandatory Credit: Vincent Carchietta-Imagn Images
Nov 24, 2024; East Rutherford, New Jersey, USA; Tampa Bay Buccaneers running back Bucky Irving (7) fights for yards as New York Giants cornerback Dru Phillips (22) tackles during the first half at MetLife Stadium. Mandatory Credit: Vincent Carchietta-Imagn Images / Vincent Carchietta-Imagn Images
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While it looked like the Offensive Rookie of the Year award was going to be a runaway victory for Jayden Daniels of the Washington Commanders, two Oregon Ducks have made their presence felt.

First, it was Bo Nix who continued to put up numbers and is now the No. 2 favorite behind Daniels, closing the gap tremendously over the past month. He was once not even considered as a contender after a tough month of September, but Nix is playing some of the best football in the NFL right now. He just led the Broncos to another win on Sunday afternoon.

But while Nix has been closing the gap for the rookie award, another Duck has been quietly building his own case.

That Duck is Bucky Irving.

While he's currently the 10th-best candidate in terms of odds, per DraftKings as of Monday, Irving has been playing some of the best football of any rookie in the NFL this season. Heck, he may be the most consistent rookie outside of Daniels and maybe Brock Bowers this season. Even Nix had a nightmare-ish start to the year.

Irving has rushed for 579 yards and five touchdowns which makes him a top-20 running back in the league as a rookie. And he's doing all this while splitting carries with Rachaad White and Sean Tucker. He has never carried the ball more than 15 times in a game this season and he's only had double-digit carries just four times.

But after putting up 151 total yards on Sunday against the Giants, there's a case to be made for him winning the coveted rookie award.

The running back from Oregon does has 579 rushing yards which is second among all rookie rushers and his 252 receiving yards sets him apart from Tyrone Tracy Jr. He has over 800 total yards and five touchdowns this season which has made him an electric part of this Tampa Bay offense.

Irving needs to not only be in the running for rookie of the year but he needs to be a finalist. He's done enough to be in the conversation, now he just has to finish strong.

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