The Buccaneers came into the season with the idea that one rookie defender might be ready to hit big right away. The name most people circled was Rueben Bain Jr. Instead, it has been Josiah Trotter who has grabbed the spotlight.
ESPN has now gone as far as predicting the second-round linebacker will make the Pro Bowl as a rookie.
Trotter has earned that kind of attention fast. In his NFL debut, he became the first player in history to post both a pick-six and a sack in the same game. He has kept rolling from there.
Through four games, with a Week 3 absence against the Vikings, Trotter has piled up 41 total tackles and has been Tampa Bay’s best presence in a reworked defensive front seven. The 21-year-old son of Philadelphia Eagles four-time Pro Bowl linebacker Jeremiah Trotter has wasted no time showing that his football bloodlines still matter.
That development has come at the same time Bain’s rookie year has stalled. Tampa’s first-round pick, who many viewed as the draft’s top pass rusher, landed with the Buccaneers at No. 15 and entered the year with huge expectations after a strong offseason. But Bain has appeared in only three of Tampa’s five games, missed Weeks 3 and 4 because of shoulder and groin injuries, and has not made much of an impact.
ESPN’s preseason bold call for Tampa Bay was tied to another player entirely. The network had picked Chris Godwin Jr. to go over 1,000 receiving yards.
After five games, Godwin sits at 179, leaving him 821 yards short with 12 games left. ESPN has moved on from that forecast and replaced it with a new one centered on Trotter.
“New bold prediction: Rookie linebacker Josiah Trotter will make the Pro Bowl. Trotter currently leads all qualifying players in run stop win rate and has recorded a tackle on 18.1% of his defensive snaps, fifth highest in the NFL.”
If Trotter stays on this track, he’ll have a real shot at the honor. The challenge is obvious: the NFC has plenty of quality linebackers, and Trotter will need to keep playing at a very high level the rest of the way. The cancellation of the actual Pro Bowl game and its surrounding events also makes the selection process tougher, with no wave of injury replacements opening extra doors.
Even so, Trotter has put himself in the conversation. If he keeps producing and the Buccaneers make noise in the NFC South race, his rookie season could end with more than just a strong debut.
In Other News...
Baker Mayfield's Thumb Suddenly Looms Over A Crucial Bucs Stretch
Baker Mayfields thumb has quickly become the hinge point of the Buccaneers next stretch, with Tampa Bay waiting to see how his recovery progresses after the injury sidelined him. The quarterback is due to test whether he can grip and throw the football soon, a key checkpoint for a team trying to stabilize its offense and get the season pointed in the right direction.
For now, the Bucs are preparing to move ahead without him against the Pittsburgh Steelers, with Jalon Daniels in line to start again. The more meaningful date may be Week 7 against the Carolina Panthers, when Mayfield could be back in the mix if the thumb responds well, giving Tampa Bay a chance to regain the kind of production it has been missing in his absence. [Read more 🡒]
Buccaneers Face A Familiar Problem Against Aaron Rodgers In Week 6
The Buccaneers head into their matchup with the Steelers looking to steady a season that still feels very much in progress, and the chess match up front could shape the afternoon as much as anything else. Tampa Bay has gotten encouraging signs on the ground from Bucky Irving, while Pittsburgh has leaned on a versatile offense built around Jaylin Warren, who has become the Steelers most productive weapon out of the backfield.
For Tampa Bay, the bigger concern is whether its defense can create enough disruption to make life uncomfortable for Aaron Rodgers. The Buccaneers have struggled to finish plays with their pass rush, and that is exactly the kind of issue Rodgers tends to expose. If the Bucs are going to leave with a result that helps their record, they will likely need more than just solid offense and a clean game script. [Read more 🡒]
Rueben Bain Jr. Is Giving The Bucs A Needed Defensive Hope
Rueben Bain Jr.s rookie season with the Buccaneers has been more about patience than splash plays so far, which is not what anyone envisioned when Tampa Bay added him to help the edge rush. The outside linebacker has been slowed by injuries, but the broader need is obvious: the Bucs have a strong secondary and are still looking for a pass rush that can make life easier on the back end and give the defense a more complete feel.
There are signs the picture may be turning. Larry Foote has liked what he has seen from Bain lately, and the rookie appears to be moving better after working through the shoulder and groin issues that interrupted his early progress. Tampa Bay can live with a developmental arc if the payoff comes later, but getting more from Bain would be especially important with the rest of the defense trying to build on that complementary structure. [Read more 🡒]