Todd Bowles: Rueben Bain Is Not “Normal”
June 16th, 2026
Did the Bucs hit the jackpot with their first-round draft pick, Miami Mauler edge rusher Rueben Bain?
Bucs fans hope so. Joe would settle for Bain being a hearty upgrade in his first season from Haason Reddick, Joe Tryon-Shoyinka and other ghosts of the Bucs’ sad edge rush of the past few seasons.
After minicamp practice today (yes, it’s just shorts and t-shirts and helmets), head coach Todd Bowles was asked what’s impressed him most about Bain this spring.
“It’s probably his intelligence, just his understanding of the game,” Bowles replied. “Some things, you can’t teach that. He doesn’t learn the game like a normal rookie. He does natural things that a three- or four-year guy can do, and that’s good to see.”
Joe loves hearing about how football-smart Bain is. “Normal” is not what the Bucs want from Bain, especially if Bowles is going to ask Bain to drop in coverage.
Rookie edge rushers under Bowles have been very slow to master all their roles in his complex 3-4 defense.
Joe absolutely doesn not want to see Bain in coverage, but if that’s inevitable, it’s great to know Bain might have a very minimal learning curve because he’s so damn smart.
June 16th, 2026 at 4:40 pm
That’s because he had a hall of fame DE teaching him the ropes at Miami. He’s NFL Ready!
June 16th, 2026 at 4:44 pm
Great read Joe.
Finally, something to get the Tampa Bay Buccaneers fan base excited again! Imagine an edge rusher who can diagnose a play and make one. Bucs fans have been waiting years for that combination.
“Bowles said Bain isn’t a normal rookie”. Good. The Bucs have had enough normal edge rushers. Time to see what an uncommon one looks like. T-Rex BAIN will inflict pain and daggers on the opposition.
LFG 🇳🇵
Ring ME
June 16th, 2026 at 4:50 pm
Bowles has not had a DL talent like this as HC. People will attempt to tell you that but for Bowles JTS would be in the league balling.
June 16th, 2026 at 5:01 pm
“Bowles” “Drop into coverage”. Key words that will certainly trigger BDS
Bowles Derangement Syndrome
June 16th, 2026 at 5:14 pm
Make Jason Taylor the highest paid D-line coach in NFL history.
We need Jason Taylor on our coaching staff.
June 16th, 2026 at 5:20 pm
I can only imagine how much Todd is salivating at the thought of Bain dropping back into coverage smfh
June 16th, 2026 at 5:23 pm
Bains bend is not normal he gets so low to the ground can’t wait for the season to start. Go bucs.
June 16th, 2026 at 5:32 pm
Mike, quit using lines from movies unless you put them in quote marks and attribute them. That “He’s NFL ready,” line was from Draft Day with Kevin Costner.
June 16th, 2026 at 5:59 pm
DavidsHogg…he had Shaq Barrett.
June 16th, 2026 at 6:06 pm
He didn’t have Sack King Shaq, he had post injury shaq
June 16th, 2026 at 6:56 pm
Joe, we can now assemble a rap sheet of all the players who’ve said Bowles’ defense is complex, most recently Alex Anzelone. Like, they use that word. But Bowles himself scoffed at the idea in an interview recently. Please, oh please, don’t let him off on this one. He has to admit it is complex and explain why it will work this year.
June 16th, 2026 at 7:13 pm
Yeah …the defense isnt broke , so why fix it ??
dropping in to coverage …. we will outsmart the offense : (
June 16th, 2026 at 7:42 pm
Let me communicate this to you so there is no misunderstanding.
Us fans want to see one thing and one thing only:
Reuben Bain putting opposing QBs on the ground.
That is all.
June 16th, 2026 at 7:59 pm
Joe of course Bain will be in coverage that is part of a Bowles defense you may as well expect it. Hopefully not often. I think part of Bowles reasoning last year and the year before was because he just did not have the talent and had to resort to tricks, which ended up not fooling anyone except maybe players on the team who were lost.
June 16th, 2026 at 8:17 pm
Its national troll day! Everyone sucs on the bucs! I hate my life my wife, Everyone should be like me.I know fancy words like scheme, my favorite player is mike evans and i can count from 3 to 28 ,My mom says I can have a football team for xmass my dad,well he just doesn’t care
I was in the punt pass and kick tournament but I quit because I didn’t like who was in it the year before! GO Bucs!
June 16th, 2026 at 9:13 pm
But can he cover?
That’s what Todd is really asking before he decides to drop him back on 20% of his snaps. Will someone in the press finally asking him about this moronic practice with D lineman?!
June 16th, 2026 at 9:35 pm
It concerns me a bit when Bowles starts saying the same thing I’ve been saying over the last few weeks as I watch the tape. Makes me question myself, if I saw what I thought I saw.
But yeah, B-Rex’s smarts jump off the tape when you watch film. He’s so fast to diagnose what is happening during a play, didn’t seem to get fooled very often, and that football IQ allows him to get off blocks sooner on things like misdirection.
At the same time, pretty much everyone that watches tape of Bain says the same thing in how that leaps off the page. It’s legit, not just generic Bowles talking points.