A Call For Rueben Bain To Focus On The “Absurd”
June 9th, 2026
The Bucs are talking internally about moving first-round draft pick Rueben Bain all across the line of scrimmage.
Heck, he might even drop into coverage as a Todd Bowles edge rusher. (Gasp!) Bain is a unique blend of power, flexiblity, speed and relentlessness.
So what’s next for Bain in the NFL?
Joe heard Bills defensive end Greg Rousseau, Buffalo’s first-round draft pick in 2021, talk about Bain on the CanesInSight podcast. It’s dedicated to the Miami Hurricanes, whose football team is where Rousseau and Bain became stars.
Rousseau was glowing about Bain and raved about how he looked like an NFL player and praised his hand usage. He also praised Bain’s trademark Gumby-like bend off the edge and called it “absurd.”
“The way Bain bends the corner, like that’s his bread and butter. He also can go speed-to-power,” Rousseau said.
Rousseau sounded like he doesn’t want Bain to take on too much as a rookie. The veteran said confidence is absolutely critical for a rookie at their position.
“If you get to the league and you try to start being a different player because of what people are saying, it’s like, ‘No, you gotta stick to what you’re good at,'” Rousseau said.
Amen to that. Joe appreciates the diversity in Bain’s game. But it shouldn’t hurt the Bucs — and it might help — to let Bain settle in as a true edge rusher.
You know, do things he was great at in college and build on that foundation.