Rueben Bain Already Has A Head Start
May 6th, 2026
Ready to rock.
Joe believes one of the more under-reported acclimation obstacles NFL rookies face is pretty much what most regular citizens take for granted.
Not only does a high draft pick like Rueben Bain have to navigate the whirlwind of a rookie offseason with the combine, the pro days and then the draft, players like him are often overnight dropped into foreign lands and strange cities where they know no one.
All of a sudden they must find a place to live and navigate all that entails, mostly on their own.
And, oh yeah, don’t you dare be two minutes late to meetings.
(Joe remembers Baker Mayfield saying before he signed with the Bucs he knew little to nothing about Tampa. And Mayfield was a five-year veteran.)
(And here comes the obligatory yes, until they officially make the team, Joe knows many rookies stay at team hotels and are bussed back and forth to the team facilities, and there is staff dedicated to helping them find apartments and necessities.)
Joe always thought it was very smart of Chris Godwin to immediately secure an apartment before rookie minicamp began in 2017. He was well ahead of the game.
It seems Bucs first-round pick Rueben Bain will be like Godwin.
In a Bucs TikTok video, Bain, as he had said, admitted he’s no stranger in a strange land. Bain has family in Tampa and he was a regular visitor to the city.
That should take a mental load off him and allow him to focus on Bucs football.
“I have a tremendous amount of support [already in Tampa],” Bain said.
Additionally, Bain also has a friend on the team, not counting his University of Miami teammate, fellow rookie Keionte Scott. Bain already was close with fellow Miami native Calijah Kancey.
In the video, shot when Bain flew to Tampa the morning after the draft, Bain said he and Kancey had texted and Kancey planned to spend the entire week after the draft with Bain. Kancey was to serve as sort of Bain’s chaperone and/or camp counselor to make sure Bain’s transition from NFL hopeful to Bucs stud was as smooth as can be.
Bain was clearly peeved at falling in the draft. And we all saw on TV how he snatched that Bucs cap the way he did as he blew past the made-for-TV, two-way mirror, not even thinking of preening in it. Joe loved how Bain looked like Charles Jefferson in “Fast Times at Ridgemont High,” when Jefferson first saw his wrecked car.
Bucs fans loved that Bain looked like he wanted to unleash on the NFL because teams passed on him (and cost him plenty of cash in the process).
But, Bain said, he’s past that and has become a Buc.
“Waking up this morning, I realized it’s over with,” Bain said. “And it is done. My dream came true and I am blessed to be in this position.”
With the support of local family and help of teammates like Kancey, Bain said, “I can’t go wrong.”
@bucsnfl Tampa Bay, get ready for Rueben Bain Jr. ‼️ #ruebenbainjr #tampabay #buccaneers #nfl #arrival ♬ original sound – Tampa Bay Buccaneers
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May 6th, 2026 at 1:22 am
If he knows somebody local that can play football also then get him in there. Maybe they’ll give him a chance.😁👍🤔
May 6th, 2026 at 1:23 am
Go Bucs!
May 6th, 2026 at 3:21 am
That kid falling will be the best thing for him. He’s around family. He’s got a mentor. And the Bucs are building for a Superbowl push.
There are a lot of players here who play hard. Last year was a fluke.
May 6th, 2026 at 5:19 am
There’s only one scene from Fast Times at Ridgemont High that I remember. It wasn’t that one.
May 6th, 2026 at 5:51 am
Bwahahaha! Same here.
May 6th, 2026 at 6:32 am
HAHAHA @ DI!
May 6th, 2026 at 8:09 am
Aloha Mr. Hand…..
May 6th, 2026 at 8:09 am
Joe could’ve left that “wrecked car” analogy for the birds. Slick cheap shot and Joe ought to be ashamed
May 6th, 2026 at 8:40 am
Throw him up against Wirfs in training camp and let’s see how that turns out!
May 6th, 2026 at 9:05 am
It’s time to step up rookie, you’re now playing against the best of the best of the past 10 years!
May 6th, 2026 at 10:06 am
Love B-Rex. Lucky Light waited until round 2 before his first “hold my beer” moment.
B-Rex won’t regress until at least game 3.
May 6th, 2026 at 10:24 am
Great now I have “Moving in Stereo” by The Cars in my head.
May 6th, 2026 at 10:46 am
Oooohhh!
Too much information!
May 6th, 2026 at 11:12 am
Hell yea channel your inner baker and use that as a chip on your shoulders bro. Tru fans are rooting for ya. All we want is for you to wreck havoc for our defense.
May 6th, 2026 at 11:52 am
Moving in stereo. That helped me remember lol
May 6th, 2026 at 11:53 am
We are getting old fellas
May 6th, 2026 at 12:08 pm
It was Mr. Bain’s destiny to end up here. He should be glad he didn’t end up in Cincy , Cleveland or Jets… he has potential to help this team be better that 8–10 win team it has been under Bowles. Good Luck and we are very excited to have you onboard! Bring on the regular season.
May 6th, 2026 at 10:25 pm
Big difference between being a first thru third draft pick who has an agent funneling money to you against your future earnings against a fourth thru seventh or FA who doesn’t have a dollar in his pocket. Do we remember the story about FA Earnest Graham sleeping in his car with his family before he got put on the roster.