Head coach Todd Bowles said Monday that the Buccaneers "will try and lessen the load" on Irving following their Week 10 bye, Rick Stroud of the Tampa Bay Times reports.
Though he hasn't shown any signs of wearing down while he's averaged a healthy 4.9 yards per tote through the Buccaneers' first nine games, Irving has already amassed 167 carries -- fourth-most in the NFL -- and would be on pace for a career-high 315 over the course of a 17-game schedule. Given the success they've found on the ground in recent weeks, the Buccaneers could continue to embrace a run-first attack, but expect Irving to cede a bit more work to backups Kenny Gainwell and Sean Tucker as Tampa Bay aims to keep their top back healthy for the long haul.