Mina Kimes believes Rueben Bain Jr. could unlock Buccaneers’ pass rush

Mina Kimes recently highlighted Bain's early work and what his presence could mean for Tampa Bay, saying, "It's early, but Reuben Bain Jr looks like the type of guy who could unlock the Bucs pass rush and push Tampa's defense back into the top ten this year." That would represent a significant improvement for a defense that struggled to generate pressure without sending additional rushers last season. Tampa Bay finished 2025 with 37 sacks and ranked 24th in sack rate despite Bowles' willingness to manufacture pressure through blitzes. Yaya Diaby led the team with seven sacks, while no other edge defender recorded more than three.

Bain could be the key to unlock the rest of the pass rush ability of the Buccaneers front seven. The 15th overall pick led all FBS edge defenders with 83 pressures during his final season at Miami while earning a 92.8 PFF grade. His combination of power, quickness and ability to rush from different alignments gives Bowles a player who doesn't necessarily need a schemed pressure to reach the quarterback. General manager Jason Licht made that point after drafting Bain, explaining that having legitimate threats on both edges forces offenses to make decisions about where to slide their protection. If Bain commands additional attention opposite Diaby, it could create more favorable matchups for Diaby, Calijah Kancey and Vita Vea inside.

In Bain's preseason debut against Kansas City, he used a powerful inside hump move to collapse the pocket around Justin Fields on third down. Diaby also generated pressure, and Tampa Bay's first-team defense forced the Chiefs into three-and-outs on each of its first two possessions. The depth behind them has flashed as well. David Walker generated three pressures late in the first half against Kansas City, while Anthony Nelson recorded 1.5 sacks. Suddenly, Bowles has several options who can contribute, rather than relying heavily on one player to create pressure. If Bain can consistently win without Tampa Bay having to blitz, Bowles can be more selective with his pressure packages and devote more defenders to coverage. More pressure from the front seven plus shorter time the corners have to cover equals more sacks and a defense that's ready to storm back to being a strength instead of a question mark.

This article originally appeared on Bucs Wire: Mina Kimes believes Rueben Bain Jr. could unlock Buccaneers’ pass rush