The Tampa Bay Buccaneers will be without Josiah Trotter and Rueben Bain Jr. in Sunday's pivotal home matchup. With these rookies sidelined, who will pick up the slack for head coach Todd Bowles' unit.
With the Tampa Bay Buccaneers dropping their opening two games of the season, the road isn't getting any easier.
On Sunday, the Bucs play host to the Minnesota Vikings, who's defense has been clicking and sits atop the NFC North at 2-0.
Starting quarterback Kyler Murray missed the majority of their first win, while missing Week 2, but he is back and provides a dual-threat ability for Tampa to watch for.
On Friday, head coach Todd Bowles ruled out the rookie pair of Josiah Trotter and Rueben Bain Jr., the team's top two draft picks.
These two first-years have gotten off to very different starts in their young NFL careers, with Trotter sitting within the top-3 league-wide for tackles.
Bain, on the other hand, has struggled, recording only one tackle and generating a 2.6% pass rush win rate.
Earlier this week, I reported on Bain dealing with a groin injury at practice, but this confirmation of his absence will delay his breakout.
It is not uncommon for rookies in the trenches to show serious growth as the season progresses, but this will stunt Bain's ability for at least this week.
Trotter's injury is upper-body, with the young Bucs standout missing practice on Wednesday and wearing a protective device on Friday.
Both injuries are rather minor, which os positive, but the Bucs desperately need a win and will be without their top picks.
Luckily, both positions were addressed in free agency, but veterans like Alex Anzalone, Christian Rozeboom, and Al-Quadin Muhammad will need to step up their levels of play.
Anzalone is one player who has underperformed to this point, as he was one of the Bucs' most notable defensive additions this offseason.
The longtime Detroit Lion signed a two-year, $17 million contract in free agency after helping transform the identity of Dan Campbell's defense.
But, through the first two weeks, Anzalone has really struggled with open-field tackling and is posting the lowest grades of his career.
Yaya Diaby is another player who needs to begin to produce at a higher rate, especially without Bain.
Diaby was hailed as the leader of the EDGE group in the offseason, with the fourth-year Louisville product talking about his goals of being a presence in the locker room.
To this point, Diaby has just four total tackles, and is yet to record a sack.
The Vikings' offensive line is not impenetrable, having given up seven sacks through the opening two weeks.
With Tampa needing a big win, expect Bowles to amp up the pressure and try to get to Murray early.
