Rueben Bain Jr. is finally set to make his NFL debut Sunday, and the matchup could hardly be more inviting for a rookie edge rusher looking to make an instant impact.
The Tampa Bay Buccaneers’ first-round pick draws the Cincinnati Bengals in Week 1, a team that has spent plenty of recent seasons making opposing pass rushers look good. Cincinnati gave up 36 sacks last year, and the numbers before that tell a rougher story for Joe Burrow’s protection: 48, 50, 44, 55 and 48 sacks over the previous five seasons.
ESPN ranked the Bengals’ offensive line 30th out of 32 teams entering Week 1, while PFF had them at 20th. For a player chasing his first career sack, that is about as favorable a starting point as it gets.
Bain’s arrival has been one of the biggest stories in Tampa all offseason. After concerns about his arm length caused the former Miami Hurricane to slide all the way to pick 15, he has quickly made the teams that passed on him look regretful. Inside Buccaneers circles, he has been viewed as the kind of rookie who can help change the tone of a defense that has not fully matched the old reputation built by names like Warren Sapp, Derrick Brooks, Ronde Barber, and others.
The buzz around Bain has been real, and it has only grown through camp. He has looked every bit the part of a future star, with everyone who has seen him practice coming away impressed by how far he fell.
Still, preseason praise only goes so far. Sunday is the first real test.
Tampa is putting plenty around him, too. The Bucs added Alex Anzalone, A'Shawn Robinson and Al-Quadin Muhammad in free agency, while second-round linebacker Josiah Trotter will also be in the starting lineup after a strong camp. David Walker, last year’s fourth-round pick, is finally set for his regular-season debut after missing his rookie year with a torn ACL, and he has also turned heads this summer.
Then there’s Calijah Kancey, back after tearing a pectoral muscle in Week 2 last season and missing weeks 3-17 before a Week 18 cameo. He has been labeled as a potential X-factor for the Bucs this year, and his return should only help the rush.
That matters for Bain, as does the presence of YaYa Diaby on the other outside linebacker spot. Diaby led Tampa with seven sacks in 2025 and could push toward double digits this season with the added help around him. Together, he and Bain could become a dangerous pair off the edge.
So what should the Buccaneers expect from Bain in his first NFL game? The setup points to a strong debut, and the source material is clear on the most likely outcome: Bain has a real chance to record his first career sack on Sunday, and it is more likely than not that he will.
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