The Tampa Bay Buccaneers haven't gotten much production out of Kenny Gainwell through the first two weeks of the season, but that hasn't changed how Todd Bowles views the veteran running back.
Gainwell has seven carries for 25 yards and four receptions for eight yards through Tampa Bay's 0-2 start. He was limited to five carries for 15 yards and one catch for three yards against Cincinnati before getting two carries for 10 yards and three catches for five yards in Sunday's 23-19 loss to Cleveland.
Bucky Irving has handled the majority of the work out of the backfield, including 17 carries for 89 yards against Cleveland. Gainwell did get an opportunity late in the first half, however, picking up a first down on a short-yardage carry before turning
a swing pass into five yards and following it with a seven-yard run.
Bowles isn't reading much into the early workload split. "Kenny will help us a great deal, and he'll do more than that, as well as he was playing more [special] teams and returning kicks for us as well," Bowles said Monday. "Kenny is going to help us. He's still a 1B for us. We know it's a long season, and we're going to need him immensely."
That "1B" designation stands out considering the difference in touches between Gainwell and Irving so far. Bowles explained that Irving simply had the "hot hand" against Cleveland, while Gainwell was also being asked to contribute on special teams. Gainwell returned three kickoffs for 78 yards Sunday and has four returns for 100 yards through two games.
There hasn't been much on the stat sheet yet, with Gainwell totaling only 33 yards from scrimmage through two games. Still, Tampa Bay clearly isn't treating his slow start as a reason to change its plans for the backfield.
Bowles also mentioned Sean Tucker and Josh Williams when discussing the position, but his comments on Gainwell were much stronger. Two games haven't changed his place in the pecking order. If Bowles' comments are any indication, the Bucs still expect Gainwell to have a much larger impact as the season progresses.
This article originally appeared on Bucs Wire: Bucs aren't backing away from Kenny Gainwell despite slow start
