Todd Bowles Believes Rueben Bain, Josiah Trotter Are In Perfect Spots
September 1st, 2026
Is in a perfect classroom.
One reason the Bucs drafted Rueben Bain and Josiah Trotter was for their smarts.
Still, as KitKat-eating Bucs coach Todd Bowles said on SiriusXM NFL Radio recently, there are always finer details about the game that even the smartest rookies can learn.
So whether it is Bain, who had excellent coaching at Miami, or Trotter, who grew up in an NFL family, Bowles said those two in the same huddle as veterans Alex Anzalone, Vita Vea, A’Shawn Robinson and “Nacho” (Rakeem Nuñez-Roches) is the perfect incubator for the rookies.
“It’s huge because Anzalone, he’s like Lavonte [David],” Bowles said. “He’s so smart. Trotter sitting next to him, he can learn so much ball from a mental standpoint.
“Physically, Trotter’s fine and he knows a lot of ball. But the nuances that you can get learning from a guy like Anzalone is unquestioned. And with Bain, who already knows a lot of ball and was coached very well, a guy like A’Shawn and Vita and ‘Nacho,’ those guys coming in and bringing a wealth of experience and making him understand the game as well.
“You know, it’s been a breath of fresh air.”
Like Bowles said, having those rookies surrounded by veterans can only help the two quickly acclimate to the NFL game.
And with Bowles likely needing a playoff berth, the quicker the rookies learn, the better for everyone.
September 1st, 2026 at 9:12 am
He has to be ahuge improvement over Dennis, who had to have been one of the worst starting LBs in the league last year. Hopefully he has been relagated to ST.
September 1st, 2026 at 9:29 am
Not stirring up TB chatter, there’s plenty of time for that. But from my 10,000 foot couch potato vantage point I think Jason Taylor will make a fine NFL coach if he is interested.
September 1st, 2026 at 9:31 am
We will find out what we have soon in Cincinatti. Game on!
September 1st, 2026 at 9:47 am
Seems like they knew Trotter was the pick in round 2.
Round 1 was a gimme.
Dawgs come in all shapes and sizes.
We need a couple at every level.
Seems like we have 3/4 with CB easily the biggest question mark.
September 1st, 2026 at 9:53 am
Joe … ‘And with Bowles likely needing a playoff berth, the quicker the rookies learn, the better for everyone.’
You almost disappointed me Joe (no jabs at Todd), but you saved the day with the bottom line.
September 1st, 2026 at 9:59 am
Cincy is touting their defense, It will be interesting to see who has the better defense in Week 1
September 1st, 2026 at 9:59 am
BTW, I think this ILB group is gonna be really special. That was a glaring deficiency last season (and the season before for that matter). Have a hunch that Anzalone & Trotter together will have a pronounced impact on what goes in that short zone. And if our interior DLine & OLBs are as aggressive as I think they’ll be, opponents are gonna have a tough time running on us AND yes, passing on us. The 4-5 man rush will become our standard IF it all works as I think it will, and we’ll be able to get by with fewer (but more selective) blitzes.
September 1st, 2026 at 10:47 am
The Bucs finally found a mentoring program where “job shadowing” occasionally involves sacking a QB and de-cleating a running back. Bowles calls it the perfect incubator. Joe Borough may eventually call it something considerably less flattering.
September 1st, 2026 at 11:03 am
is it me, or does ruebin always look to be in his own headspace…
like his own private little idaho
September 1st, 2026 at 11:04 am
a lot of people are saying we could have a new scary front seven
September 1st, 2026 at 11:09 am
bakerfan:
that cincy defense has been crap for more than a minute…
and last year, one of the nfl’s worst…way worse than us…
on average they also gave up like 29 points a game last season…
f the bungles
September 1st, 2026 at 11:34 am
Anzone helped develop Hutchinson playing along side him. Hopefully Trotter follows in the same footsteps
September 1st, 2026 at 11:58 am
Hope the pre season speculations will soon be gone in the wind ans the rubber meets the road for real this off season is the worst in my memory bank…..all due to the Glazer decision to keep Bowles. Never forget the Glazer effect.
September 1st, 2026 at 12:00 pm
If we lose by less than 6 point in Cincy there is hope for another 50/50 season.
September 1st, 2026 at 1:39 pm
We should have accomplished the same thing last year by drafting Jihaad Campbell or defensive rookie of the year Carson Schwesinger to play beside and learn from Lavonte David.
But, we probably would have won the division, drafted later, and missed out on Bain. But, getting Bain was dumb luck, not some super genius master plan.