Buccaneers rookie Rueben Bain Jr. reveals his secret weapon

Tampa Bay Buccaneers rookie Rueben Bain Jr. has gained national attention for his habit of staying after practice each day to get in extra work. 

It’s something he carried over from his college career, when he similarly stayed after Miami Hurricanes practice to get extra reps. 

Braving the brutal Florida heat to keep working after everyone else has gone home — on top of already participating in a high-intensity practice — is a rare level of dedication. But there’s a method to Bain’s madness. He feels it gives him an advantage over the competition on gameday. 

Tampa Bay Buccaneers rookie Rueben Bain Jr. is working to dominate the fourth quarter

Bain spoke to ESPN’s Jenna Laine about why he stays after practice. He wants to use the extra reps to critique what he did in practice and refine and perfect his technique.

He also wants to build stamina and conditioning, so he can dominate late in games when his opponents are tired.  

"I feel like in college most of my plays were made in the fourth quarter ... I know when I'm tired, the O-linemen are a little more tired than me,” Bain said. 

Bain was one of the most disruptive defenders in college football. He totaled 20.5 sacks and 33.5 tackles for loss in three seasons at Miami. Last season, he recorded 83 pressures, which tied for the most ever in the PFF College era.

According to Laine, 10 of Bain’s 20.5 sacks came in the fourth quarter. That’s more fourth quarter sacks than any player in that span. 

Adding a player of that caliber could transform the Buccaneers defense. Tampa Bay has been desperately searching for a game-changing pass rusher in recent years, to no avail. The Buccaneers haven’t had a player reach double-digit sacks since Shaq Barrett did it in 2021.

The front office swung and missed on Joe-Tryon Shoyinka in the first round and Chris Braswell in the second round, while their free agency addition of Haason Reddick failed miserably. Against all odds, Bain, who was widely expected to be a top-10 pick, fell right into Tampa Bay’s lap at No. 15 overall, and he’s the exact kind of player and personality that the team has been missing. 

The Buccaneers had 12 games last season decided by just one possession. Having a player like Bain, who takes his game to another level late in games thanks to his relentless work ethic, could give Tampa Bay a huge boost in those close contests.

Nobody is going to work harder than Bain, and if his college track record is any indication, that preparation could make him the most dangerous player on the field when the fourth quarter arrives.

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