Todd Bowles: Rueben Bain May Not Be 100 Percent
September 21st, 2026
So a week ago Joe speculated on WDAE radio and on the Ira Kaufman Podcast that Miami Mauler rookie Bucs edge rusher Rueben Bain was injured or sick in Week 1.
Nothing else made sense.
Joe watched Bain look ferocious in training camp, including against the Jets and Jaguars in joint practices. The Bain that showed up in Week 1 of the regular season absolutely was not that guy looking dominant in August.
Well, Bain resumed his sad, uninspired play yesterday against the Browns. Joe can even point to Bain loafing a couple of times.
Interestingly, head coach Todd Bowles acknowledged in a news conference today that Bain may be off physically. Bain injured his shoulder (AC joint sprain) in the summer but was not on last week’s injury report.
Bain says the shoulder is not affecting his play, per Bowles. However, it sounded like Bowles is skeptical.
“I don’t think he’s completely healthy,” Bowles said of Bain. “But at the same time, he’s good enough to play. We’ve got to get more production there.”
As Joe wrote earlier, edge rusher David Walker stepped in for Bain early in the game and delivered a classic edge rush win and sack against the same tackle that gave Bain fits. Walker was granted only 9 snaps all game.
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September 21st, 2026 at 1:14 pm
Holy cow.. here we go with the injury excuses.
September 21st, 2026 at 1:15 pm
Give him a game off so we can unleash Walker and see what we really have there.
September 21st, 2026 at 1:16 pm
These injury excuses are getting old.
September 21st, 2026 at 1:19 pm
The guy never played OLB before in his life
He’s a guy that plays with his hands in the dirt
Rushing from a 3 point stance or 4 point stance
I’ve always said he useless as a standup OLB
September 21st, 2026 at 1:19 pm
Either he is ok or he is not wtf is the dilemma here?
September 21st, 2026 at 1:20 pm
Had enough of Bowles’ excuses and explanations. He had exhausted his goodwill two years ago.
September 21st, 2026 at 1:20 pm
Here come the excuses! If this man had 5 sacks in 2 games would we be hearing about an injury? If you start the game and play, you’re not injured.
September 21st, 2026 at 1:24 pm
Coming Later this Week: Baker is playing injured
September 21st, 2026 at 1:28 pm
I think Bowles is coaching injured
September 21st, 2026 at 1:28 pm
He’s a 4-3 defensive end. As Lakeland said, he’s worthless as an OLB. He’s not built to play dropping back—he needs to be moving forward, using his ideal strengths, which are leverage and speed-to-power. You take all of that away when you force him to play as a two-gap OLB instead of a one-gap DE. Which Defensive ends still drop out into coverage occasionally—maybe once or twice a game—just to switch things up and throw off the offensive rhythm. So yeah he can do it hes just not that great at it.
But he needs to be told inside or outside leverage on the Tackle. Aka this is your gap….
GO GET BALL!!!
September 21st, 2026 at 1:28 pm
Walker was pumped up after that play. Why on earth didn’t they give him more snaps?
September 21st, 2026 at 1:30 pm
Well he can’t rush or sack or tackle or defend the short pass. Otherwise he is doing great.
September 21st, 2026 at 1:32 pm
This one is on Bowles. Sit the kid. Clearly he has a ways to go. It is what it is. Rookies hardly make an impact especially at that position. Now if this was a coach covering for Hunter I understand. Just needs to rotate some older guys in for now.
September 21st, 2026 at 1:33 pm
I meant to say covering for his player*
September 21st, 2026 at 1:34 pm
FIRE (Todd Bowles out of) THE CANNONS!
September 21st, 2026 at 1:34 pm
I would like to know when you think we have a chance to win a game again? Minnesota? Not happening. Green Bay? No chance. Dallas? Gonna be a bloodbath, we cant cover rookie scrubs on the browns, Lamb and Pickens will go off. Week 6, Pittsburgh? If the corpse of aaron rogers is still standing back there, maybe. Panthers? They score 30 a game. Week 8, the falcons? might be our best chance, but then again, WE LOST TO THE BROWNS. The rate we are playing, there may not be another winable game on the schedule.
September 21st, 2026 at 1:36 pm
As others have stated, this is a Bowles special.
Talented player, being asked to play out of their natural position, force-fed responsibilities beyond their experience level and specific talents, and then blamed for failing to deliver. We are already hearing noise that he is bust…but he is being misused. How can anyone tell how good the players are if they are consistently set up to fail by scheme and use?
Wash, rinse, repeat.
Amazing that the Glazers are so complacent about the waste of their millions.
September 21st, 2026 at 1:37 pm
Fans need to start chanting at games, we need to be heard.
September 21st, 2026 at 1:41 pm
Bowles does it his way despite the results. Classic.
Has anyone asked him yet if he thinks he deserves his two jobs?
Because he sucks out loud at both of them.
Wasted half decade and building.
September 21st, 2026 at 1:41 pm
And yaya getting worn out chasing running backs and receivers and getting penalties in the process. Players aren’t being set up to win. Out of position gives us a Bowles disadvantage. Between that and Mayfield drama. This team has no flow has no idea what momentum is. Just clueless Todd trying to coach it better. It’s a Bucs life
September 21st, 2026 at 1:42 pm
Oh for fks sake… Bowles is a dumpster fire of every level.
September 21st, 2026 at 1:44 pm
Start walker then
September 21st, 2026 at 1:45 pm
I’ll say it again. I think the Bucs’ performances the last two weeks tells us all we need to know about why Mike Evans bolted in free agency. Meanwhile the 49ers are on a roll!
September 21st, 2026 at 1:47 pm
He said it at the presser today!!!!!
Just gotta coach it better and play it better!!!
Pure genius. An absolute guru!!!!!!!
We’re saved!!!! It’s a miracle!!!!!
Todd Bowles extension coming pronto!!!
September 21st, 2026 at 1:48 pm
If he’s injured why not let someone else play? I didn’t get to actually watch yesterday’s game, but I listened to it on the radio. Both the tv announcers last week and the radio announcers this week were critical of the soft zones bowles loves to run. They just don’t seem to be a cohesive unit on offense or defense. On offense all they seem to want to do is screen passes and dump offs. Those are like potato chips. They’re fine once in a while, but you can’t live on that. I was thinking as I watched Zac Robinson last year maybe he just needs a QB. Mind you, Baker hasn’t been sharp at all, but I don’t think Robinson runs a very good offensive plan. I don’t see a ton of hope for any improvement at all here. If fact it looks like the team is still in quit mode from last year.
September 21st, 2026 at 1:48 pm
Do we have another Bucky Irving on our hands? You know, a guy who gets injured and completely loses his mental state and takes forever to get it back?
Seems like we aren’t drafting the “dawgs” that Jason Licht seems to think we are.
September 21st, 2026 at 1:50 pm
Apparently we aren’t allowed to say bowle zoe
September 21st, 2026 at 1:51 pm
Shoulder surgery coming, I can see it now.
September 21st, 2026 at 1:52 pm
Posey99…lots of boos should do it.
September 21st, 2026 at 1:53 pm
Bucky is playing just fine rushing the ball.
September 21st, 2026 at 1:54 pm
Bowles is resulting to becoming a SPINMASTER now.
September 21st, 2026 at 1:58 pm
I don’t think the shoulder is the issue. Bain is not being used properly. As other people have already noted, Bain is not a linebacker. He has never played linebacker. He is a hands-in-the-dirt lineman. Hopefully our next head coach will know how to use Bain to get the most out of his talent. The stud from Miami did not just turn into a dud.
September 21st, 2026 at 1:58 pm
Baker and the offense are to blame for these losses.
DR and WBL can’t believe what they just read but I have always said what my eyes see.
Having said that… still the same problems with Todd. Guy is just a bad HC and DC. I would have McDermott or Schwartz on the phone and see if they have an OC they trust.
Another lifeless showing at home, make the change. I know the Joes say will never happen. There’s a 1st time for everything. I will be checking out shortly. Was one thing when I believed in Baker, when you don’t have a QB or HC/DC you are dead in the water. Bucs are starting to rot.
September 21st, 2026 at 1:58 pm
Bowles had two hours to write excuses yesterday. Not very creative. Just a rehash of tried and Todd true. I can’t think of a single Buc player currently ranked in the top twenty of their position after two weeks. Wirfs, Winfield, Luke, regressing weekly. Makes me think it’s the coaching staff. Wrong scheme for wrong players. Another thing is that I cannot understand anything Todd ever says. It’s possible that problem is deep in the locker room. Wrong incoherent message from this staff, from this head coach.
September 21st, 2026 at 2:00 pm
All the hype for sorry as performances. It’s a Bucs life!!!
September 21st, 2026 at 2:01 pm
One of the hosts on the Aftermath hit it right. Especially for us at this point in the season. We just gotta win. Just win the next game. Forget last season. Forget the 1st two games. Forget Evans. Forget the noise. Whatever it takes, just win the next game. Win by 1 point or 17 points. It dont matter. Stop the bleeding. Then wash, rinse, repeat and move on. But if we lose next week, or go 8-9, burn it all down after week 17……
September 21st, 2026 at 2:07 pm
Here come the excuses.
September 21st, 2026 at 2:07 pm
How is there still not a story about the biggest play of the game, the entire reason the Buccaneers lost?
Our top 3 paid franchise quarterback had a wide open receiver in the endzone to win the game, an easy pass for any NFL QB to complete, and our top paid franchise quarterback missed the throw and lost the game.
I mean the entire summer was about signing Baker, about him being disrespected, about him being a franchise QB, and in the two games to start the season, he’s literally lost both of them, singlehandedly.
Baker is 0-2 on the season, is 1-6 in his last 7 games, and ALL SIX loses are on Baker.
Not Bowles, not Bain, not even Analzone – who is also been terrible.
No, there’s one man to blame, and his name is Baker Mayfield. He’s been mostly terrible for nearly an entire calendar year now, and his new deal doesn’t even start until next season…
September 21st, 2026 at 2:07 pm
He doesnt “think” he’s healthy? How about you ask him Todd. Thats one idea
September 21st, 2026 at 2:11 pm
B-o-w-l-z-o The Head Clown
How ya like them apples?
Got around the lame anti-free-speech filter that protects the sensitive feelings of certain people at One Buc and which some local media types seem to slavishly implement.
We have a kit-kat eating clown shoe of an excuse for a head coach.
There. Put that in your pipe and smoke it.
September 21st, 2026 at 2:12 pm
Tampa Bay failed to cover the spread in its 11th straight game, tied for the longest such streak in the Super Bowl era, according to ESPN Research.
At least we can make money while they lose!
September 21st, 2026 at 2:16 pm
Go watch every bain pass rush… all this blah blah about him being dropped in coverage is an excuse! 4-3, 3-4 blah blah non sense as well. Raise your hand if you think a guy like dallas turner can play in 4-3 or 3-4. If you can rush the passer you can do it regardless of your base formation, which it the end of the day is 4-2-5 most of the damn time anyway.
September 21st, 2026 at 2:18 pm
Rod Munch
Baker Mayfield is a garbage QB
Everyone knows he’s trash, that’s why he’s a journeyman QB
But, the YUCS were the only team dumb enough to give him $165 million
This contract will haunt the Bucs for years
I doubt if they can get a decent HC to replace Bowles
No sane coach want Baker Mayfield as their QB
September 21st, 2026 at 2:22 pm
Munch, Defense lost 3rd and 28 game. Not Baker. Baker clearly lost last week’s game.
Hurst lost yesterday. Period. He catches that pass, it’s over. But Baker did not play very well. Certainly not up to a Top 3 paid QB.
As for the last play, I’ve watched it 5 times or so on YouTube, and I do not see the open WR you saw. Who did he miss? It looked to me like Baker zeroed in on #2 and the Defense saw that.
The OL and playcalling was ridiculous. Otton and Hurst dropping passes. Calling the same damn running play 5 times. Pussing out and kicking FGs. Poor tackling.
Everyone sucked. Except maybe Trotter.
September 21st, 2026 at 2:23 pm
Just like JTS, Logan Hall, Chris Braswell, Noah Spence
The excuses have already started.
Don’t bother, Bowles. We’ve heard the excuses before. Over and over. Save your Breath.
September 21st, 2026 at 2:28 pm
I don’t believe the formation 4-2-5, 3-3- 5- etc
Has anything to do with Rueben Bain failures
I believe his stance has everything to do with his shortfalls
He’s the type of pass rusher that’s built for a 3-4 point stance
He has leverage, advantage with his hands in the dirt (3 or 4) point stance
Go back and look at his high school and college tapes
And once again he’s useless rushing from a 2 point stance
He’s surrendering his advantage, leverage rushing from a standup position
September 21st, 2026 at 2:31 pm
Without an overhaul this organization is going nowhere. Ever.
What’s needed is a new vision from ownership, a new GM or at least a new approach by our current one, a new head coach, and a highly-drafted QB this coming offseason.
Yes, Mayfield is obviously someone who needs strong competition and strong coaching to push him to get anywhere near his potential. He needs to feel uncertain, afraid, and pissed off that someone is breathing down his neck. Just handing him the job and giving him top-5 QB money is going to get you what you see: complacency and undisciplined play.
Since this team is going to be drafting in the top ten they need to get their QB prospecting started right now. They need a plan for the future as well as someone to push Mayfield to either compete harder or just fail and lose his spot to a top ten draft pick. Either way the Bucs win.
They also need a new coaching staff, one that is tough, disciplined, creative, and smart, which are traits this current staff almost completely lacks.
September 21st, 2026 at 2:35 pm
But as a OLB in the NFL, they want you standing up
They say you can drop into coverage better from a stand-up position
But a pass rusher has more leverage rushing from a 3 or 4 point stance
As a traditional DE in a 3-4 defense, you’re not asked to drop into coverage as much
You’re primary a pass rusher
September 21st, 2026 at 2:36 pm
Now making excuses for Short Arm Bain?? what a joke
September 21st, 2026 at 2:36 pm
More idiots, blaming everyone but the guilty.
Here, let me help.
The line can’t pass block. The defensive line can not rush the passer
That’s it. Thats all your on field issues. Those 2 problems, make everyone else look bad.
I’ve been telling everyone that since March. Remember. That’s when you all were predicting deep play off runs. lol.
Off the field.
Bowles hasn’t improved any rookies. All the players have worse stats with Bowles, than they had elsewhere. Fire Bowles
Licht has one job. Build the team. We haven’t had a pass rush since the Super Bowl team. Randy Gregory? Haason Reddick? Those are jokes.
Spence. JTS. Hall. Spence.. are you kidding.
Drafted a Left tackle. Stuck him at center. He’s sucked every year- yet we keep trying to force him to be a center. Bredesen? No. All the backups suck.
Fire Licht.
Has Robinson ever done a good job at Offensive Coordinator? He must be outstanding at interviews. He sucked in Atlanta. Offense was horrible.
He sucks he. Horrible. Just strangling an offense that’s already choking.
Fire them all.
September 21st, 2026 at 2:44 pm
Don’t believe Boweles and don’t believe Mr. No accountability Mayfield.
September 21st, 2026 at 2:45 pm
@FLBoyInDallas
Great comments. Gave me a good laugh on the moderation post.
Much appreciated on this black Monday.
Todd Bowles provides us those like Pez.
September 21st, 2026 at 2:49 pm
So you just realize now after a loss and two weeks of no production that the guy is hurt? Way to have your finger on the pulse.
If we only had other pass rushers! Oh wait… we do.
Fire Todd! Enough is enough!
September 21st, 2026 at 2:51 pm
Bain did not drop to number 15 in the draft because HE was great. Another wasted pick and bad excuses. Fire Licht and Bowles w/his staff. HORRID Game Plan
September 21st, 2026 at 2:55 pm
Bain is suffering from an acute case of ‘The Bowles’
September 21st, 2026 at 2:57 pm
If a defensive started is injured to the point where he is shut out from the stat sheet, the backup literally cannot be any worse.
September 21st, 2026 at 2:59 pm
“Lakeland Says:
September 21st, 2026 at 2:28 pm
I don’t believe the formation 4-2-5, 3-3- 5- etc
Has anything to do with Rueben Bain failures
I believe his stance has everything to do with his shortfalls
He’s the type of pass rusher that’s built for a 3-4 point stance
He has leverage, advantage with his hands in the dirt (3 or 4) point stance
Go back and look at his high school and college tapes”
You can say the exact same for Yaya, I said it in the open game thread I do not like Yaya lining up standing up, that’s just one more thing to do as he’s engaging OTs
September 21st, 2026 at 3:12 pm
another 1st round bust like that douche out of alabama, and dude out of washington .
They just cant pick a winner.
September 21st, 2026 at 3:13 pm
The biggest mistake was not firing Todd “Turd in the punch’ Bowles after last year. He is one of the worst head coaches of all time, win pct. wise.
He is lard ass and took a good team and gotten worse and worse. Should’ve kept Liam Cohen in retrospect, obviously.
September 21st, 2026 at 3:36 pm
Todd Bowels is a .500 coach. He needs to go, today.
September 21st, 2026 at 4:12 pm
ModHairKen Says:
September 21st, 2026 at 2:22 pm
Munch, Defense lost 3rd and 28 game. Not Baker. Baker clearly lost last week’s game.
———
Just like in this game, Baker had a wide open e2 for a 1st down, on a much easier throw – one that any middle school QB can make, heck one that I can make right now – and Baker missed it. If he completes that pass, the Bucs run out the clock, and the game is over. That doesn’t even take into account the single worst INT I’ve ever seen in my life that Baker threw a couple of series earlier – in the 4th quarter.
Everyone knew on that last offensive drive, if the Bucs punted, they’d lose the game as we all know the defense wouldn’t hold up.
So with the pressure on, Baker once again folded. Baker lost that game.
Amazing how he missed e2 in both cases on easy plays that would have won the game. If e2 could follow in Mike’s footsteps, he’d also flee this team as to not have to play with Baker.
September 21st, 2026 at 4:13 pm
Bain isn’t an ALL-PRO yet, and it’s been 2 WHOLE WEEKS!
Time to cut bait and move on, he’s clearly a bust.
September 21st, 2026 at 4:28 pm
Mod baker missed EE on the 4th down. EE had his guy beat easy TD catch but baker over thru him again. I also agree if hurst catches that ball it’s up to the extra point for the tie but man baker over thru his guys all game.
September 21st, 2026 at 4:29 pm
Baker is 0-2 on the season, is 1-6 in his last 7 games, and ALL SIX loses are on Baker….Munch
Munch, you are so full of sh!t! They whole team from OL, WRs, OC, DL, HC and the rest. But in your world Baker is the cause of all of it.
We all have our theory as to the problem. Me, it’s JL and TB at the head of the line. Your obsession with Mayfield cancels any good you post about other things.
September 21st, 2026 at 4:42 pm
We’ve seen very little of Bain and Bain has seen little of the NFL so healthy or not I’m not going to pronounce him a bust whose superhuman power and leverage disappear against NFL size and slide protection. What we have seen is against some of the best young tackle talent in the league.
Amarius Mims is 6’8” 350 lbs of young but seasoned NFL talent. He was too much for Bain to overpower and was beating Bain off the snap a lot but don’t go chicken little over it. Mims is emerging as one of the league’s best RTs and will be getting paid handsomely when he comes to the end of his rookie deal.
Spencer Fano is no behemoth like Mims but he is an absolute freak who was expected by many to go in the top five and played like it yesterday. So did rookie OG Austin Barber. Monken might have a solid OL. They unlike their teammates were good in their loss to the Jags.
Bain’s traits are still there. He is pro-ready despite the lack of stats and will be more of a presence once he learns his opponents. He got the whole league’s attention in his preseason snaps vs the Chiefs with that hump move but that was against a UDFA. A UDFA he prepped for and faced in the national championship so again, I’m tempering my expectations based on who Bain is winning and losing against.
I’m not opposed to Bain coming off his diet and playing primarily with his hand in the dirt. This can happen naturally as much time as I hope the Bucs to be lining up in nickel (75%+) but Yaya does deserve his share of time playing in the dirt too in his contract year so it will cool to see bear fronts where perhaps both can get down and do some damage.
Sim pressures and blitzes where a rushing LB or DB pushes Bain into coverage don’t bother me. He looked alright vs Travis Kielce and even gave him an after the play shoulder I enjoyed. Oh and I love how he made paste out of that wideout two yards off the line. That’s the best coverage skill in the NFL to have. Bain in press man violently neutralizing TEs in that first five yards could be one of the levels of football he spoke of wanting to create.
The kid is as smart as he is talented and in time can refine his pass rush tools into effective outside-to-inside counters he’ll be beating Mims and Fano with the next time he sees them. I’d love to see him down and winning off the snap so he isn’t bothering with counters at all. His get off standing up is no where near as good as it is when he is right on the line where he can be his best. He is more Terrell Suggs than the James Harrison type I’m afraid Bowles is seeing. I’m excited to see what he does every where though. Rushing 4 down linemen only gets pressure 3% in today’s NFL so I like that the Bucs get creative but be smart and efficient about it. Drop the blitzes for sim pressures that bring four from odd angles so there aren’t holes to exploit and the rushers have time to get to the QB. That’s going to be sweet to behold.
September 21st, 2026 at 4:52 pm
He seems to be built like Kancey. Short and short-armed. Those guys need to be on the line, infighting, not lining up off the line and way outside, where the OT’s long arms can easily push him wide.
September 21st, 2026 at 4:56 pm
Then why is he starting? He should be only rotating in on 3rd downs. Play Walker or Mohammad
September 21st, 2026 at 4:59 pm
Walker got 9 snaps
Get him more