Expectations are high for Tampa Bay Buccaneers first-round pick Rueben Bain Jr., even though fans barely got a chance to see him on an NFL field this preseason. That apparently wasn't enough to put him among the rookies getting the most attention from NFL decision-makers entering the season.
Jeff Howe of The Athletic surveyed 20 NFL general managers, executives, head coaches, coordinators, and other coaches on a number of topics ahead of the 2026 season. One question asked which rookie they expected to have the best season.
Bain wasn't among the rookies listed in the published results.
There isn't much NFL game action to judge him on yet. The Bucs held Bain out of their preseason opener before finally putting him on the field against the Kansas
City Chiefs. He played just six defensive snaps.
It wasn't much, but Bain gave Tampa Bay a glimpse of why it used the No. 15 overall pick on him. His best rep came on third down when he powered his way into the backfield and put immediate pressure on Justin Fields. Bain finished his brief preseason appearance with an 88.8 overall grade from Pro Football Focus. And that was it for his preseason.
Bain suffered an AC joint sprain during Tampa Bay's joint practices with Jacksonville and didn't play in the finale against the Jaguars. The injury wasn't considered serious, and he is expected to be available when the Bucs open the regular season against Cincinnati.
That leaves Bain in an interesting spot heading into Week 1. He was one of the first defensive players taken in April, but we've seen only six preseason snaps from him in a Buccaneers uniform.
His college production is a big reason Tampa Bay invested such a high pick in him. Bain finished his three years at Miami with 121 tackles, 33.5 tackles for loss and 20.5 sacks over 38 games. His final season included 9.5 sacks and ACC Defensive Player of the Year honors.
None of that guarantees what Bain will do as a rookie, especially when his NFL sample so far is almost nonexistent. But he'll finally get a chance to start answering those questions when the games begin to count. The rookie conversation is part of a Tampa Bay pass rush looking for another difference-maker off the edge.
This article originally appeared on Bucs Wire: Bucs’ Rueben Bain Jr. snubbed in NFL decision-makers’ rookie survey
