Bucaneers HC Issues Challenge to Rueben Bain Jr.

Buccaneers' rookie defensive end Reuben Bain Jr. was the talk of the town in Tampa Bay for months.

The fact that the Bucs were able to take Bain at pick No. 15 in this year's draft surprised just about everybody, including general manager Jason Licht, and the "Bain Train" didn't slow down during training camp.

Bain continued to dominate, and Bucs fans were ready to see what he could do in the regular season.

But through the Bucs' first four games, Bain hasn't done much, and it hasn't been his fault.

Bain has only gotten to play in two games so far, having missed Weeks 2 and 3 with shoulder and groin injuries. He's ready to go this week, and he could be a shot in the arm for a team that needs one as badly or worse than any other NFL team.

Tampa is 0-4, and only one 0-4 team in the history of the league has gone on to make the postseason, with that team being the 1992 San Diego Chargers.

The Bucs' pass rush hasn't helped the matter. Through four games, the Bucs have sacked the quarterback just six times, fewer than all but five teams.

The Bucs also rank near the bottom in team pressures, so they haven't been doing a great job of making the quarterback uncomfortable, either.

Bain might not be able to change that by himself, but he could certainly help.

There's a reason Bain was projected to be a top 10, if not a top five draft pick.

At Miami, he played in 38 games and ended his college career with 20.5 sacks and 33.5 tackles for loss.

Last season, Bain finished with 9.5 sacks and 15.5 tackles for loss in 16 games, helping Miami reach a national title game and earning ACC Defensive Player of the Year honors.

There's no reason to think Bain can't be an NFL superstar, and although coach Todd Bowles didn't lay quite that level of expectation on him when meeting with reporters this week, he gave a good idea of what he wants to see.

“Hopefully we get in, and he can knock the rust off and we’ll see the Bain we saw in spring and in training camp,” Bowles said.

Bain is one of those players who will be interesting to watch regardless of what the rest of the season turns into.

If the Bucs are out of the playoffs with multiple games to go, fans won't be as intrigued by how veterans like Baker Mayfield and Tristan Wirfs perform down the stretch.

Bain’s development will be interesting to watch regardless of the team’s record.