Rueben Bain Draws A Will Anderson Comparison
May 29th, 2026
Soon, it seems, Bucs rookie edge rusher Rueben Bain will be compared to Superman, Aquaman and the guy who hands out free chicken samples at the mall food court.
The Miami Mauler was Tampa Bay’s first-round draft pick at No. 15 overall. Expectations are high. Heck, Joe recently watched a deep-dive on the NFL’s best edge rushers for 2026 and Bain was ranked No. 15 overall among all edge rushers.
Will the Bucs use him exclusively off the edge? Will he be shifted inside at times to capitalize his raw power? Can Bain be the “fire-starter” Warren Sapp says he already is?
Buccaneers legend Rondé Barber has had plenty to say about Bain, and he had more takes on his recent sitdown on The Rondé Barber Show.
Barber compared Bain to the highest-paid edge rusher in the game, All-Pro Texans sackmaster Will Anderson.
“He’s built like Brandon Graham kinda; that’s a really clean comparison for me,” Barber said. “He’s got like a motor like the guy that won Rookie of The Year [in 2023], Will Anderson. Right? He’s got a motor like Will, like just never, never, ever stops. And that will in itself create a lot of opportunities and probably some production for [Bain] this year. But, I mean, I think his versatility makes him like almost a can’t-miss. … I think we should expect him to have a big return this season.”
The hype for Bain is extraordinary. Joe’s excited, too, but let the 21-year-old breathe. Or at least let the guy complete one practice in pads before anointing him!
Barber went on to hype Bain’s special “leverage, violence and speed-to-power.” And for those who don’t remember Brandon Graham, he’s got two Eagles Super Bowl rings, a Pro Bowl trip and 85 career sacks.
May 29th, 2026 at 8:47 pm
I didn’t watch a ton on B-Rex before the draft since I didn’t think there was any way he’d fall to us, and I knew Licht wasn’t going to spend to trade up. And as I watch more on him, the more excited I get for the pick.
I was pretty much set on the Bucs taking Mesidor, who I think will have a very good rookie year, and I thought Bain might take more of a typical rookie route, where you shouldn’t expect too much too fast. But as I see more from Bain, I’m getting more onboard with Ronde’s line of taking, that the return on Bain is going to happen pretty quickly.
Of course there is one way for Bowles to sabotage all of that. So may I suggest having Ronde show up at practice to teach Bain how to play zone.
May 29th, 2026 at 9:05 pm
There is an old saying that should be applied to Bain and all rookies.
“underpromise and over deliver”
The Bucs front office should know better than to raise expectations so high that players could fail to achieve goals by trying too hard to succeed. I think it is a stupid move.
One mistake, injury, bad game or misuse by the coach can possibly have an effect on a player’s confidence and when compounded by high expectations problems could arise.
Remember “Braswell will shock people” ?
Licht should think about what he says before he opens his mouth.
May 29th, 2026 at 9:11 pm
Perhaps a statement such as this would have been better;
Bain is a great talent and he had a great college career but now he is in the NFL so let him start with a clean slate in the first grade.
May 29th, 2026 at 9:13 pm
Come to think of it that may have been an issue with Bucky’s mental health issue.
May 29th, 2026 at 9:14 pm
@Sal Volatile
“Licht should think about what he says before he opens his mouth.”
What’s the over\under that ever happens???
Easily the lowest IQ GM in sports. Hands down.
Bowles is the perfect coach to pair with Licht.
Two peas in a pod.
May 29th, 2026 at 9:43 pm
Bain will survive Bowles….after that he’ll thrive.
May 29th, 2026 at 9:46 pm
Great photo. Love that wingspan. It looks like he could definitely wrap those arms around a flagpole 🤪
May 29th, 2026 at 9:57 pm
ChiBuc. Looking closely, it’s like you can tell that his arms are just a tad short. But looking closely at his center mass, you can also tell, that his arm length don’t mean shlt! That’s what I’m talking about.
May 29th, 2026 at 10:00 pm
JTS has long arms and sucks.
May 29th, 2026 at 10:03 pm
@ChiBuc
If he helps the D improve (which I think he will) then nobody will care about his arm length. I was thinking he’ll probably end up with like 8 sacks this year.
May 29th, 2026 at 10:05 pm
Got your point, Sal, about expectations.
But Rueben is cut from that same competitive cloth as Baker. No matter what, he’s just going to do Rueben.
May 29th, 2026 at 10:33 pm
If you think reach determines one-on-one outcomes, just watch some mma matches.
May 29th, 2026 at 10:35 pm
exBrowns02 Says:
May 29th, 2026 at 10:05 pm But Rueben is cut from that same competitive cloth as Baker. No matter what, he’s just going to do Rueben.
^^^^^^
I agree that is likely the case but singling out one player over others because of draft position or perceived talent should not be the case.
I believe in the military method in team building. Everybody starts at zero. No one is better than another. Each team member’s development and achievement is directly correlated to his individual effort and talent. That helps to drive lesser talent to do better and can help tamp down excessive egos.
May 29th, 2026 at 10:54 pm
Sal — Agree with your points. Rueben has that super-charged drive and focus. I predict that he’s going to be quick on the pro-uptake once he gets some game experience.
It’s difficult to not be impressed by that never-quit mentality. It’s something that can’t be taught.
May 29th, 2026 at 11:56 pm
Lynchmob and 3.28 two lowest IQ poster in here.
Two peas in a pod.
May 30th, 2026 at 12:03 am
I don’t know, do you think it is safe to say Bain probably would not do well in coverage. However you know it is going to happen be prepared. Everyone from JPP, Shaq,Vea all played in coverage at some point. Hopefully it does not happen often, but it is going to happen. So everyone needs to be prepared because you are going to see it. I mean that is Bowles’s defense.
May 30th, 2026 at 9:10 am
I hope RB turns out to be 80% as good as Will Anderson. If Bowles can call plays that use his best abilities, then that may very well happen. If not then….
May 30th, 2026 at 9:50 am
Sal – Agree with your take. The excessive ego tamping needs to start with the GM and HC. Unfortunately, those egos are out of control. Bain should be fine. Seems to be bulletproof. Neither one of those two clowns can control their mouths or their ineptitude. Bain should outlast them both.
May 30th, 2026 at 10:08 am
Cant wait to see him get after it!!! TAMPA! BAYYYYYY! GO BUCS!!
May 30th, 2026 at 12:14 pm
The whole short arms thing is just goofy.
Short versus long arms only matter if all other traits / skills are equal. In other words, if you have two edge rushers with similar skills, moves, and attributes, then the longer arm recruit is probably the better choice. But if the shorter arm recruit is better at every metric except arm length, it won’t be a detriment.