Todd Bowles isn’t ready to call Rueben Bain Jr. fully healthy, and that matters because the Buccaneers have been waiting for their rookie pass rusher to look like the player they believed they were getting.
Through two games, Bain has barely made a mark. He has just one tackle, no sacks, and only a handful of pressures at most depending on the source, over 76 snaps. For a player who turned heads all offseason and arrived with plenty of hype as Tampa Bay’s 15th overall pick, that’s a jarring start.
Bowles pointed to the preseason injury Bain suffered during a joint practice with the Jacksonville Jaguars on August 26. It was listed as an AC joint sprain and was initially viewed as “nothing serious.” But nearly a month later, Bowles still thinks it may be lingering.
“He says it's not. I mean, I don't think he's completely healthy, but at the same time, he's good enough to play, so we've got to get more production there.”
That leaves the Bucs in a tricky spot. If Bain is still dealing with the shoulder issue, it could help explain why the pressure hasn’t come. If he’s healthy enough to be on the field, then Tampa Bay needs more disruption from him - and fast.
The rookie isn’t the only reason the Bucs have stumbled out of the gate, of course. Baker Mayfield has already turned the ball over four times in two games, including three lost fumbles in the opener and an interception in Sunday’s home loss to the Cleveland Browns. Mayfield also got outplayed by Browns quarterback Deshaun Watson, who once replaced him in Cleveland.
Tampa Bay’s offensive line has also underwhelmed. The group, anchored by left tackle Tristan Wirfs, entered the season with a reputation as one of the NFL’s best, but it has already allowed seven sacks. That number might be even higher if Mayfield weren’t so good at escaping trouble.
The pass rush, which Tampa spent real effort trying to upgrade, has been quiet too. The Bucs have only three sacks through two games: one from rookie linebacker Josiah Trotter, one from David Walker, and one from defensive tackle A'Shawn Robinson after a well-timed blitz from rookie corner Keionte Scott, who was originally credited with it.
Bain has been expected to be a big part of that rush from day one, and instead he’s been mostly absent from the box score. For a player once praised all summer, that kind of start naturally brings the questions back around - including the ones about his short arm length, which helped push him to Tampa Bay at No. 15.
For now, Bowles is leaving the door open to the injury being part of the story. But the bottom line is the same either way: the Buccaneers need their most anticipated rookie to start producing.
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