The Tampa Bay Buccaneers will have to reshuffle their pass-rush rotation against the Minnesota Vikings, and that could create the biggest opportunity of David Walker's young NFL career.
Rookie outside linebacker Rueben Bain Jr. has been ruled out for Sunday's Week 3 matchup with a groin injury. Bain started each of Tampa Bay's first two games but did not practice at all this week, leaving the Buccaneers without the No. 15 overall pick in the 2026 NFL draft against Minnesota.
FOX Sports' Greg Auman pointed to Walker as one of the players who could benefit from Bain's absence. Tampa Bay isn't expected to hand all of Bain's work to one player, but Walker has already made a case for a larger piece of the rotation after taking advantage of his limited
opportunities against Cleveland.
Walker played only nine defensive snaps in the Buccaneers' 23-19 loss to the Browns, but he made them count. He recorded a tackle for loss, a quarterback hit, and the first sack of his NFL career, dropping Deshaun Watson for an eight-yard loss on third down early in the second quarter.
It has been a long road to meaningful regular-season snaps for Walker. Tampa Bay selected him with the No. 121 overall pick in the fourth round of the 2025 NFL draft, but he tore his ACL during the third practice of training camp and missed his entire rookie season.
Now healthy, the former Central Arkansas standout has started to show why the Buccaneers were interested in developing him. Walker flashed throughout the offseason before finally getting a larger opportunity against Cleveland, and Tampa Bay's own Week 3 preview indicated the team expects to use a committee approach in Bain's absence that will likely result in more snaps for Walker.
He won't be the only option. Al-Quadin Muhammad is listed behind Bain on Tampa Bay's depth chart, while Anthony Nelson and Walker provide additional depth behind Yaya Diaby on the other side. That gives head coach Todd Bowles several different ways to distribute the snaps rather than asking one player to completely replace Bain.
Still, Walker may be the most intriguing player in that group after what he did with nine snaps last week. One sack isn't enough to declare that Tampa Bay has found another long-term answer off the edge, but it was enough to earn another look.
With Bain unavailable and the Buccaneers searching for their first win of the season, Walker should have a chance to build on his performance against Cleveland. What he does with those additional opportunities could determine whether his role continues growing even after Bain returns.
This article originally appeared on Bucs Wire: Bucs could turn to emerging pass rusher if Rueben Bain Jr. is out
