There is no question that pass rushes rule the NFL, and that has been the case for the last 20 years when the league modernized into more of a passing league, focusing on the efficiency of the passing attack and star quarterbacks. And as even Tom Brady will attest, the best way to beat a top quarterback is to put pressure on him, and that is something the Tampa Bay Buccaneers could not do at all last season.
Although the Bucs had a very underrated and elite interior mover in Vita Vea, who picked up a handful of sacks, the only remotely effective edge defender for Tampa Bay last season was the inconsistent YaYa Diaby who also was hurt by the fact that he had literally no help. Elite quarterbacks like MVP Matthew Stafford could just sit back and pick the Buccaneers secondary apart, making the young cornerbacks look more burn prone than they might actually be.
Well, the Buccaneers did not want to overpay for Maxx Crosby or Trey Hendrickson, but they did manage to land a young pass rusher who has the potential to be at least as good as those Defensive Player of the Year candidates in Miami Hurricanes superstar Rueben Bain Jr.
Rueben Bain is a monster in the making
Everyone has been raving about Bain Jr.'s raw athleticism and ability to get after the quarterback, but few have praised his mind and his ability to make an immediate impact, which is the biggest reason why the Buccaneers are so bullish on their 2026 chances now with Bain Jr. joining the defense.
But Bain's mind has not been lost on Tampa Bay Buccaneers head coach Todd Bowles, who was begging for a player like this after a nightmare 2025 season for his defense. Bowles said of Rueben Bain Jr., via Joe Bucs Fan, It’s probably his intelligence, just his understanding of the game. Some things, you can’t teach that. He doesn’t learn the game like a normal rookie. He does natural things that a three- or four-year guy can do, and that’s good to see.”
Back when he was a defensive coordinator, Todd Bowles was seen as a guru on that side of the ball, and that has made it all the more frustrating to see how poor the Bucs defense was last season. But newcomers with a pedigree like former Detroit Lion Alex Anzalone have been full of praise for how complex his defense is. If Rueben Bain can pick it up from the get go as an all arounder and understand everything he is supposed to do while learning quickly on the job, Bain may be a bigger villain to NFL offenses than even they imagined or feared.
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