Sunday marks the start of the NFL season, but it also marks the first time Tampa Bay Buccaneer linebacker Rueben Bain Jr. will get a chance to land a punch on his future NFL legacy.
The Buccaneers have never had a Defensive Rookie of the Year, but Bain may just land them their first. It's not my opinion specifically; Bain is being heralded as a future NFL star.
The Athletic recently released a series of bold predictions ahead of the 2026 season. The Buccaneers didn't land on any of those big predictions, but Bain ran away with the DROTY expectations. And they are right.
Rueben Bain, Jr is ready to take his first steps toward Tampa Bay Buccaneers immortality
It's hard to imagine that, throughout the history of the Buccaneers, no rookie has ever won the elusive award. Bain will have competition. The Athletic voters gave the rookie 13 first-place votes, but they also gave the same number to David Bailey of the New York Jets.
Working in Bain's favor may be the fact that the Buccaneers will be a much better team than the Jets. If they make the playoffs, Bain could be a big reason why.
In 1992, rookie Santana Dotson was named to the Pro Football Writers of America's All-Rookie team. That's the closest anyone has come to taking home that honor.
Bain has been on fire throughout camp, and it was like pulling teeth to get him off the field during preseason games. Now, he will line up, take as many snaps as they will give him, and work to destroy the timing of the Bengals' offense by keeping Joe Burrow under duress.
There is a lot to like about what the Buccaneers are bringing to the table, and while Alex Anzalone is hard to miss, no Bucs fan will spend the game watching anyone but Bain in his regular-season debut.
What the rookie has to avoid, however, is the desire to prove 14 other teams wrong in his first game. His non-stop motor is great, but there are times when he may have to reel it in just a bit, stick with what the Bengals give him within the defensive scheme, and then unleash hell when he gets the chance.
Of all the rookies in the NFL, Bain is the most intriguing. A first-round draft pick who fell to 15 because his arm length didn't meet the national standard. On Sunday, he gets to start proving everyone wrong.
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