Tampa Bay Buccaneers quarterback Baker Mayfield didn’t hold back when the conversation turned to the team’s new faces up front. On the “Green Light with Chris Long” podcast, Mayfield joined former Bucs defensive lineman Beau Allen and singled out rookie Rueben Bain Jr. as the kind of player who can change things fast.
“I think Bain, first and foremost, is going to be a monster.”
That kind of praise has become a theme around Bain Jr., the 15th-overall pick in the 2026 NFL Draft. Mayfield isn’t the only one talking him up. Local and national media, Buccaneers fans, and people inside the organization have all pointed to the Miami product as someone with the potential to become one of the game’s top pass rushers.
Mayfield also made sure to spread the credit around the rest of the front seven. He mentioned David Walker, Al-Quadin Muhammad, Elijah Roberts, and Calijah Kancey as part of a group that has given Tampa Bay a very different look this offseason.
“And then the hidden gem that we were excited about in training camp last year is David Walker. Unfortunately, torn ACL, but now he looks really good. He's an explosive guy off the edge.
"Obviously, you got Yaya. You bring in a guy like [Muhammad] from Detroit, who had 11 sacks last year.
And you're talking about the edge rushers, four of those guys... and that's not even to mention the interior guys that we have. Elijah Roberts is going to take the next step for him.
Calijah Kancey is a freak. Yeah, he is twitched up.”
The Buccaneers have spent the 2025 offseason working to strengthen that front seven, and the moves point toward a clear effort to reshape a pass rush that hasn’t been good enough over the last couple of seasons. The hope now is that this group can become a real strength in 2026 and beyond.
Whether that happens will play out on the field, but the early buzz around this unit is hard to miss.
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Now Tampa Bay has to watch him continue his rookie season in Kansas City after the Chiefs claimed him off waivers. For a Bucs team always looking for affordable pass-rush help, it is the kind of move that can linger a little longer than a typical roster decision, especially when a young edge rusher already showed he could make disruptive plays against NFL competition. [Read more 🡒]
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For Tampa Bay, the appeal is not just that the division looks softer, but that the ingredients for a rebound are all in place at once. Mayfields motivation matters, the teams overall health matters, and the fresh talent around him matters too, especially for a group trying to turn last seasons momentum into something more durable. The question now is whether those pieces come together quickly enough to make the Buccaneers the team everyone else in the South is chasing. [Read more 🡒]
Bowles Sends Clear Message As Mayfield Pressure Builds In Tampa
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Jason Licht has also signaled that the team will respect the deadline tied to the contract talks, but the larger priority remains getting ready for the start of the season. For Mayfield, the pressure is part of the job at this point, and for the Bucs it is about balancing the business side with the hope that continuity on offense can keep him settled when the games begin. [Read more 🡒]