Can Or Will Todd Bowles Adjust To Maximize Rueben Bain’s Potential?
May 5th, 2026
Bucs coach Todd Bowles.
Joe is still trying to figure out this riddle and likely won’t have a firm answer until maybe Halloween.
How exactly will the Bucs use first-round pick Rueben Bain?
At Miami, Bain was a 43 defensive end. Pass coverage wasn’t his scene. But he was a terror on the edge and setting the edge in the run game.
KitKat-eating Bucs coach Todd Bowles runs a 34 defense. In his defense, the outside linebacker is the edge rusher. Joe just cannot picture Bain covering tight ends in the seam and running backs out in the flat.
If anything, “this Joe” sees Bain playing inside because he is such a powerful man. He’s not built like YaYa Diaby. Shoot, he’s built more like Vita Vea than YaYa.
When Bain was brought to Tampa the day after he was drafted, Bowles crowed how Bain is the perfect defender for his scheme. That same scheme has also not been kind to rookie edge rushers since Bowles first became a full-time defensive coordinator in Arizona.
Scott Dochterman of The Athletic doesn’t like the match between Bowles’ scheme and Bain’s skillset. Dochterman is of the mind Bowles must adjust in order to maximize Bain’s talents.
Tampa Bay got a steal here with Rueben Bain. Considered a top-10 talent, Bain fell to No. 15, which aligns with the Buccaneers’ positional needs. Tampa Bay largely has journeymen at that position group, so Bain immediately gives the group a weapon. Now, how much will Todd Bowles adjust his defense to accommodate Bain, who is more of a 4-3 edge who can kick inside on passing downs? That remains to be seen.
Sadly for Bain, “this Joe” doesn’t see Bowles adjusting much, if at all.
Joe really, really does hope common sense rules the day at One Buc Palace and the Bucs, specifically Bowles, let Bain do what he does best.
And Joe promises, nowhere will you find any pre-draft ranking of Bain being a top-10 pick because of his pass coverage skills.
May 5th, 2026 at 5:08 am
Just happy Bain is a Buc, but not wasting time worrying if todd uses him correctly or not. High probability we have a legit DC this time next year who’s mandate will be to build a scheme that fits his players strengths, instead of the what we’ve seen these last 4-5 years of just the opposite.
May 5th, 2026 at 5:13 am
my hope is that he will only get bumped inside on plays where bowels wants an OLB on that side of the line to go into coverage.
May 5th, 2026 at 5:20 am
Bain will need to freelance from time to time like Suh and JPP did. This is Bowles last year, hope he uses Bain as a true Edge rusher. Last thing we need to see is Bain in coverage on 3rd and 28. lol. Still think the Bucs need to try to find a good veteran CB.
May 5th, 2026 at 5:38 am
Bowels is a stubborn man. It will be a miracle if Bain is used as an edge rusher.
May 5th, 2026 at 5:42 am
If Bowles deson’t adjust, HE will be gone next season as the Bucs will NOT have a winning record. He will probably misuse Scott too, even though Scott appears to be a jack of all trades.
May 5th, 2026 at 5:55 am
Bowles adjust, are you kidding me!? Not going to happen!
May 5th, 2026 at 6:01 am
If Bowles does not adjust he will be gone!..the fans will get what they want and that’s a new coach.
May 5th, 2026 at 6:29 am
Asking Bowles to adjust is akin to asking a dog to be a giraffe. Bowles barely makes in-game adjustments let alone change his defense to highlight his players strengths. But I’m sure this is the season he’ll coach it better and the players will play it better.
May 5th, 2026 at 6:34 am
Well at least Bowles has the blessing of 9% of Buc fans.
May 5th, 2026 at 6:36 am
Said it on draft night, covering the curl/flat with those short arms will be a struggle.
May 5th, 2026 at 6:38 am
If Todd Bowles refuses to change how long will the Bucs Ownership put up with Todd Bowles mismanagement. On the other hand Joe, Todd Bowles just might adjust and allow Bain to rain havoc on the Quarterback.
I don’t see him play acting the Role of a Forest Grump. The Bucs focused on the defense. So why would he bring in Bain simply to ignore him as a edge rusher. Your logic doesn’t make sense Joe.
Let’s use common sense here.
May 5th, 2026 at 6:43 am
Bain will play Shaq Barrett’s position a lot like Barrett did. It’s not rocket science and he will be able to rush the passer the vast majority of the time. Will probably run a 4-2-5 a lot like the Texans with McDonald and Hunter. If we are rushing 4 from a 3-4 front, Bain will almost always be one of the four.
May 5th, 2026 at 6:53 am
Bowles will be gone in ’27 either way. Licht needs to start looking now for a HC.
May 5th, 2026 at 6:56 am
How big is Bain? He’s smaller than Buster Kancey. You put him inside and he’ll spend more time on the sideline than Buster. If you ask me, Bye-Bye Diaby is the loser here.
May 5th, 2026 at 6:56 am
Also, yaya and Bain will sometimes kick inside on long passing downs to play 3 technique so Walker and Muhammad can get on the field too.
May 5th, 2026 at 7:04 am
Well, I have almost gave up, but I will give it another go
Can Or Will Todd Bowles Adjust To Maximize Rueben Bain’s Potential?
Only if Todd Bowles acquiesces the DC Duties and allows for Jim Schwartz to be hired as the DC replacement and Bowles retains the HC position!!!
That will not only maximize Bain, but the whole defense as well!!!
If he doesn’t acquiesce, then just like Mr T aka Clubber Lang predicted many moons ago
What’s your prediction for the next fight? Prediction? Pain!!!!!!!!!!!!!
May 5th, 2026 at 7:44 am
Bain is nowhere near “built more like Vita Vea ” lol….what are you drinkin Joe?!?
he’s built more like CK94…which is why they both should play mostly on the outside and only kick inside on 3rd and long….
CK94, Vita, A.Robinson, YaYa
AQM, E.Simmons, E.Roberts, Bain
GO BUCS!!!!
May 5th, 2026 at 7:45 am
I would really like to get past the frustration of Bowels being retained as HC AND DC. But the reminders keep coming back inadvertently. It’ like “WOW, we may have had a great draft, if only Bowels can manage to stay out of the way.” Oh well. Like Tony Saprano said as everyone was offering condolences for loss of his mother….”Whattaya gonna do.”
May 5th, 2026 at 7:49 am
“At Miami, Bain was a 43 defensive end. Pass coverage wasn’t his scene. But he was a terror on the edge and setting the edge in the run game.”
-sigh-
An excerpt from the The Miami Hurricane student news paper from last year says otherwise Joe, and anybody else still stuck in 2006 welcoming in the Canes’ new defensive coordinator.
“Looking at the schematic differences between Hetherman and Guidry, their systems both start at the 4-2-5 format. Matt Shoddel of On3 broke it down and to him, “Hetherman keeps it a bit more simple…He isn’t as worried about trying to confuse the QB as he is about playing good, sound defense.” As he puts it there Guidry’s system tried a lot more disguising and movement of guys post snap. Though these aspects can confuse an offense, it can also at times confuse a defense and, as a result, lead to coverage busts and the frequent explosive plays Miami let up all year. Minnesota conversely was excellent in preventing explosive plays. The Golden Gophers let up the nation’s fourth fewest plays of 20 yards with just 36; the Canes’ ranked 96th with 61 allowed”
There’s all this “will Bowles use him right” when we literally run Miamis’ “base” defense of 4-2-5/Nickel form, whatever you want to call it-70% of the time.
May 5th, 2026 at 7:52 am
He don’t need to adjust the defense for Rueben Bain
He need to make adjustments that make the defense more dominant
We have the players for a dominant defense, not one player
We can be a dominant defense without Reuben Bain
He has all of training camp to figure it out
I think he will get it done, and we be fine defensively
It’s the offense that concerns me
May 5th, 2026 at 7:55 am
Joe … ‘Sadly for Bain, “this Joe” doesn’t see Bowles adjusting much, if at all.’
Go back to 2019-2021 when Bowles had some real TALENT at OLB: Shaq, JPP & Nassib. Shaq was a true OLB; the other 2 were converted DEs brought up in 4-3 defenses.
o Shaq: 16 games – 889 def snaps – 174 blitzes – 19.5 sacks – 51 Pressures – 11 targets – 9 Completions (81.8%)
o JPP: 10 games – 586 def snaps – 23 blitzes – 8.5 sacks – 24 Pressures – 4 targets – 4 completions (100%)
o Nassib: 14 games – 630 def snaps – 84 blitzes – 6 sacks – 17 Pressures – 2 targets – 2 completions (100%)
So the 3 of them together got 2105 def snaps (equivalent of 2 OLBs on the field full-time), with 34 sacks & 92 Pressures. And oh ya, the 3 of them blitzed 281 times, 46% of the Bucs’ total of 613 blitzes that year. Interestingly, JPP & Nassib appear to have been used in coverage relatively little (only 6 targets between them in 24 games). Shaq however, the ‘true OLB’, seems to have been used in coverage about twice as much as the 2 of them combined.
Todd Bowles has been down this path before. When the TALENT performs as it should, the results aren’t all that shabby. I think what they’re trying to replicate this year is that 2019-2021 defense (bigger, beefier, nastier, and yes, much more TALENTED than what we’ve fielded these last couple of years).
Bowles’ defenses had too many ‘weak links’ and too many injuries these past couple of years. He tried to compensate in numerous ways, but all we ended up with was a middle-of-the-pack defense (#20). Combine that with a middle of the pack offense (#18) & a horrific S/Ts, and it spells a middle-of-the-pack team with an 8-9 record. They’ve worked hard this off-season trying to fix those deficiencies, and at this point I’m willing to give Todd Bowles & the rest of this TEAM the benefit of the doubt & stay ‘cautiously optimistic’. He’s been down this road before.
May 5th, 2026 at 7:57 am
No need to adjust because we’re bringing him into a defense that plays the sub-formation that was Bains actual base defense last year in Miami.
You guys got to let this 3-4 vs 4-3 stuff go, it’s like arguing FM vs AM in the streaming era and I want better for all of you.
May 5th, 2026 at 8:02 am
Proof from 2022:
“New Miami football coach Mario Cristobal has already kicked off a complete overhaul in his first offseason, updating everything from the coaching staff to the recruiting plan. However, with attention focused off the field now, it is easy to forget the changes he will bring on the field as the 2022 season begins a new era for the Hurricanes.
On3’s JD PicKell broke down the complete expectations for Miami, including a deep dive on their new 4-2-5 defensive scheme which will help Mario Cristobal utilize the pool of local talent he has already recruited to join the unit moving forward.”
May 5th, 2026 at 8:19 am
A lot of pressure suggesting Bain will come in and be the savior of our defense. He may turn out to be a rare player who is Pro ready to start, but it is his rookie season. I feel he will be a great player. We will see.
May 5th, 2026 at 8:30 am
Bowles is on his way to destroy Bains.
May 5th, 2026 at 8:45 am
Todd Bowles and Licht need to hire Jim Schwartz as DC. Schwartz will adopt a 4-2-5 defense. Schwartz didn’t have Myles Garrett covering tight ends. That seemed to work out well for Garrett and the Browns.
May 5th, 2026 at 8:45 am
The answer is “no.”
May 5th, 2026 at 8:58 am
Re-read the full sentence. Bain is built more like Vea than YaYa and Joe stands by that (Joe actually briefly met Bain two weeks ago). YaYa is tall and lanky. Does Bain look tall and lanky to you?
May 5th, 2026 at 9:02 am
This is exactly what i was commenting on yesterday. Get the dude in a situation that lets him do what he does best…Period! If Todd can’t adjust his scheme to suit? He is not the defensive guru some think he is.
I am no expert but we have taken dudes in the draft and had them doing things they were not suited for. Coaching? Bad fit for Todd’s “scheme”? or simply stupid picks? Frustrating for this Bucs fan.
Go Bucs!
May 5th, 2026 at 9:07 am
“YaYa is tall and lanky. Does Bain look tall and lanky to you?”
Tall yes, lanky at 260-270? Absolutely not
Yaya is 6’4″. Bain is 6’2″ both around the same way. Both big guys with powerful basis, the Vea comp is a bit of a reach to be honest.
Bain & Yaya both play with more power than finesse, but both possess really strong bases from the waist down.
May 5th, 2026 at 9:09 am
there was Amazon Book Store 30 years ago and there is Amazon NOW !!
Todd is the Bookstore Version !! Will Prob remain the Bookstore version , because he thinks it worked before 🙈
May 5th, 2026 at 9:50 am
Sapp was hardly an impact player in his rookie year. Phat chance that Phat Todd facilitates much success for Bain this year.
May 5th, 2026 at 9:51 am
No of course not. Bowles will confuse Bain like every other player and destroy his confidence.
May 5th, 2026 at 10:25 am
Such a shame that we will have to waste the entire 2026 season, proving something we already know. Bowles is married to his system and will not adjust. Can the fans run an ad on Linkedin and start interviewing for our 2027 coach and DC?
May 5th, 2026 at 12:20 pm
Bowles better use these new guys the right way, the Bucs season and his career depend on it…After seeing the defense the last 2 years, it’s hard to feel any confidence in Bowles.
May 5th, 2026 at 1:05 pm
Bain should be a 4-3 DE, that’s his natural fit. Although I did see a decent number of plays where he was standing up and didn’t seem out of place. But I agree that he shouldn’t be dropping into coverage a ton.
Trotter should be a traditional run stuffing MLB in a 4-3.
It does feel every year like the team keeps drafting guys who would be better fits in a 4-3. Like JTS and Logan Hall both should have been 4-3 DE’s.
With all that said, I’m sure Bowles will double down on his super soft zone garbage defense … because with all these new toys the offenses will never expect it, and we’ll catch them off guard.
May 5th, 2026 at 1:36 pm
I cringe when I hear Bain can kick inside. We need an edge rusher, we got a good one. Why kick him inside on passing downs? He’s not a defensive tackle, he’s a 4-3 defensive end. Play him to his strengths. If Todd can’t figure that out, Todd needs to go.
May 5th, 2026 at 1:43 pm
“I cringe when I hear Bain can kick inside. We need an edge rusher, we got a good one. Why kick him inside on passing downs?”
To get he and Walker/AQM on the field at the same time.
Bain is just as good whooping on guards as he is offensive tackles. It’s all over his tape.
Miami Hurricanes barely ever lined up in a 4-3(EVER) and there’s data all over the internet of Cristobal desiring, and building an attacking 4-2-5 defense which obviously helped get Keionte Scott on the field which turned into him being drafted.
May 5th, 2026 at 2:00 pm
Hey Lefty… I think you mis worded your Clubber Lane prediction – comment..
Let me adjust it for you.
Commentator : Clubber…, what’s your prediction for this fight?
Clubbed Lang : My prediction?….. BAIN!
And with that said here’s how it went “while” we had an EFFECTIVE pass rush and we were winning Super Bowls and setting club seasonal “win rates” year over year. (In other words Bowles AND Licht have done it before in season 2020 and 2021) During those two years there was one VERY MARKED difference and it seems it was the Main and Only difference) Well Rounded and Highly Experienced…”LEADERSHIP”!
Todd Bowles Wasn’t the head coach and therefore Bowles WAS NOT calling the shots. “Bruce Arians” KNEW the critical value of an Effective Pash Rush. It’s utterly PARAMOUNT to Success within this Amazing Game. Now, once Arians had to leave the game due to his heart health and blood pressure issues, Bowles was Picked to “temporarily lead” the team in the intern.
Todd Bowles IMMEDIATELY dismantled EVERY ASPECT of The Reasons Why we had Such a HIGH success rate. And once the butcher got his (jets) philosophy going, we took a straight NOSE DIVE OFF THE WINNING CLIFF!
And within 4 years he managed to DESTROY Tom Brady’s winning record (Licht played his part in that as well by providing NO respectable lineman to even give Brady a chance) and Drug us down in his BORING and LACKLUSTER 80’s philosophy and has brought NOTHING glorious to this organization! He has RUINED IT for us.. Last year it was SO BAD that we slipped back into the “Den of Depression”… Bowles PERSONALLY TURN ON THE LIGHTS FOR YA.
INSTEAD OF utilizing the Air Attacking Weapons that WE WERE COMPLETELY DESIGNED TO USE AND HAD ALL THE WEAPONS TO CONTINUED MAXIMUM EFFECTIVENESS, THAT WE WERE SO VERY VERY SUCCESSFUL WITH, Bozo converted us to a purely running team of which WE DID NOT HAVE THE HORSES TO PERFORM! It was CHILDISH what Bowles insisted we do. We lost too many lineman BECAUSE we weren’t (the O line) designed to hold up against and open up running lanes in order to BE a run first, drag the game out, and to perpetually keep the game close. AND SO ON AND SO FORTH.. FACTS! We simply weren’t designed to do it. We were designed to DOMINATE with KNOCK OUT, HIGH POWERED, AIR ASSAULTS! BUT… Bowles ABSOLUTELY HATED IT!
He dismantled Anything and EVERYTHING that represented the way we Dominated for those two GLORIOUS years. He HATED Arians and THAT WAS CLEAR. You know, the guy who gave Bowles a chance to rebuild his “manhood” after the COMPLETE AND UTTER EMBARRASSMENT that WAS his tenure as the jets head coach. Nobody wanted to touch Bowles with a ten foot pole, Except… Arians. And Bowles, the selfish child that he is… sent Arians packing and dismantled everything Arians believed in THAT WAS ABSOLUTELY WORKING! Bowles disgraced HIMSELF to the ONLY MAN who gave him a chance at all. Absolutely DISGRACEFUL what Bowles did to Arians…..
BUT… Bowls didn’t care. It wasn’t important to him if we ACTUALLY WON the games. It was Only Important that it was what he wanted “RIGHT NOW”, instead of us slowly converting to a team designed to play the 80’s style game. BUT, as we ALL KNOW, he selfishly DIDN’T CARE!
I have no love lost for Bowles BECAUSE OF who this guy is and the DAMAGE he’s done to my team. It’s NOT MENT to be personal to Anyone Else on this blog or Any other on the planet. I DO NOT LIKE HIM BECAUSE OF HIM. There is no mystery in my eyes and though I wonder what the 9 or 10% of you don’t see, I hold no hard feelings towards you. ONLY IF YOU ATTACK SOMEONE ELSE WHO’S HAD ENOUGH. THE GIVE A D@@M IS GONE. That’s YOUR perogative just like my disdain is mine. He ruined my Sunday happiness and I don’t forgive him anymore. He had ALL the chances I had left to give him last year. As far as I’m concerned the sooner he’s gone the better for the health of this team.
BTW… He’s NOT GOING TO UTILIZE “ANY” PASS RUSHER PROPERLY! HE’S JUST NOT! OK…
Bowles losing THE ENTIRE TEAM AND ALL THE VETS SHOULD BE ALL ANYBODY NEEDS TO KNOW ABOUT TRUSTING THE GUY TO DO WHAT IS GOOD FOR WINNING…. And I’m sorry but Bowles has already MADE IT CLEAR WITH HIS OWN WORDS AND CLEAR LACK OF ACTIONS that he thinks of the pass rusher position as useless “to him” as ….. on whatever you want to call it..
May 5th, 2026 at 2:07 pm
Bowles is the question mark right now. Is it really a situation with Bowles where his defense does not adjust to the talent, the talent has to match his scheme to make it all work? He has the talent now, so there are no excuses. Its either win or be fired. He is on the hottest of all hot seats at this point.
May 5th, 2026 at 2:13 pm
I suppose I should have focused on the damage to the “DEFENSE” that’s been done VS the Offense. But that word require another book and I’m tired of talking about why the head coach is the Worst Possible choice for this club.
What seems CLEAR is that the WHOLE THING is rigged. NO WAY owners who Actually WANT TO WIN keep this guy around. NO WAY “UNLESS” it’s rigged…
This team dominates for a couple of years and then “mysteriously” they forget how to do what they did the VERY year before and the year before that SO EFFECTIVELY… and then THAT TEAM all the sudden has the secret formula… ALL 32 TEAMS do split the pot do they not? Hmmmmmmmmmmmmmmm
It’s GOT TO BE rigged…. There is NO other answer that makes sense. It just doesn’t add up any other way…
May 5th, 2026 at 2:18 pm
Warren Brooks Lynch says:
You guys got to let this 3-4 vs 4-3 stuff go, it’s like arguing FM vs AM in the streaming era and I want better for all of you.
—————
True – everybody (or at least a vast majority) runs some type of hybrid defenses with multiple alignments. It’s not 1970 anymore.
May 5th, 2026 at 2:37 pm
Either way, it’s a win win. Either Bain does great in Todd Bowles defense, or next year, he does great in some other coaches defense that is sure to be a good fit for his talent.
May 5th, 2026 at 3:36 pm
@Obvious One
I envy your imagination. Quite the fantasy you’ve presented. Unfortunately that’s all it is.
Those of us who live in the real world can see that we lost PLAYERS after the Brady bowl and have been forced to get by with a lot less talent but that’s ok, you do you – everything is Todd’s fault – players don’t matter. It’s all a vast conspiracy to sink the team and make you miserable 🤡😭
May 5th, 2026 at 5:07 pm
Todd Bowles is an abject failure as a HC\DC. A fraud and a buffoon.
He was gifted his position and retained despite the continued diminishing returns.
The only question now is how much longer will the Glazers choose to be stuck in reverse.
Every day he’s the coach is a wasted day in Bucs history.
May 6th, 2026 at 6:43 am
Bowles is an excellent coach and now he’s finally got some talent at all levels of this defense. It’s really going to be fun to watch! Please- no injuries!
May 6th, 2026 at 6:59 am
Hey Lefty… I think you mis worded your Clubber Lane prediction – comment..
Let me adjust it for you.
Commentator : Clubber…, what’s your prediction for this fight?
Clubbed Lang : My prediction?….. BAIN!
Hahahaha Obvious One….. I didn’t think that way when I originally posted !
May 6th, 2026 at 3:43 pm
Hope Bowles listens to the Gipper, HIRE A DEFENSIVE COORDINATOR, & in stall a aggressive scheme, I think Bowles will have Bains dropping into cover on occasions, not a high percentage of the time but he will have to learn coverage , Bowles will prove this season, you can’t teach a old coach new systems. The Bucs Defense should be better if the entire team is healthier all season though.