Rueben Bain Jr. has already done the draft-night pictures, the rookie minicamp clips and the first wave of offseason interviews. Now comes the image that really matters for Buccaneers fans: Bain in full Tampa Bay gear, ready for the 2026 NFL season.
The Bucs unveiled Bain wearing the team’s red No. 3 jersey and a pewter helmet, giving fans their first real look at the player the franchise is counting on to help reshape its pass rush.
You merely adopted the dark. I was born in it. pic.twitter.com/xTmr8wcaLr
- Tampa Bay Buccaneers (@Buccaneers) June 29, 2026
That No. 3 is a notable switch. Bain wore No. 4 during Miami’s run to the College Football Playoff national championship game, and he’ll now be the first edge rusher in Buccaneers history to wear No. 3.
The visual matters because the need is real. Tampa Bay tied for 18th in the NFL with 37 sacks last season and finished 24th in sack rate per pass play.
Yaya Diaby led the team with seven sacks, and no other Bucs edge rusher got past three. The last Tampa Bay player to reach 10 sacks was Shaquil Barrett in 2021.
Bain arrives with a résumé that looks tailor-made for that job. In 2025, he started all 16 games for Miami and piled up 54 tackles, 15.5 tackles for loss and 9.5 sacks.
He also led the FBS with 83 quarterback hurries, then added ACC Defensive Player of the Year and the Ted Hendricks Award to his season. Miami won a program-record 13 games and reached the national championship game with Bain as one of the centerpieces.
He was especially dangerous in the College Football Playoff, recording five sacks across Miami’s four games. In the national championship game, he finished with eight tackles, 2.5 tackles for loss and a sack.
For Miami fans, it’s the sight of a local star who turned into an ACC Defensive Player of the Year and a first-round pick. For Tampa Bay, it’s a 21-year-old edge rusher in the uniform, at a position where the Bucs need help now, looking like he’s ready to take on a major role.
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