Whether it’s his shoulder or his groin, something is holding back Tampa Bay Buccaneers edge rusher and 1st-round pick Rueben Bain Jr., who looks like not only a shell of the player he was in 2025 at the University of Miami but also the player who created all the buzz during training camp and the preseason.
Originally thought to be a lingering shoulder injury suffered during a joint practice with the Jacksonville Jaguars that was hampering his play, Buccaneers head coach Todd Bowles said it was something else entirely holding him out of practice on Wednesday.
“Bucs OLB Rueben Bain Jr. has a groin injury, coach Bowles said,” Tampa Bay Times NFL reporter Rick Stroud wrote on his official X account on Wednesday.
“Bowles says Rueben Bain is dealing with a groin injury sustained in Sunday’s game,” Fox Sports NFL reporter Greg Auman wrote on his official X account.
The Buccaneers are 0-2 heading into a Week 3 home game against the 2-0 Minnesota Vikings on Sunday.
Rueben Bain Jr. Called Out After 1st 2 Games
Bain, the No. 15 overall pick in the 2026 NFL Draft, has been a non-factor through his 1st 2 NFL games. He’s signed to a 4-year, $23.7 million rookie contract.
“I don’t think he’s completely healthy, but at the same time, he’s good enough to play, so we’ve got to get more production there,” Bowles said on September 21.
“Rueben Bain has been NON-EXISTENT through his first two NFL games, and fans online are wondering if his short arms are the reason why,” Recruits CFB wrote on its official X account. “Some are already declaring him a bust … so far, Bain has a 43.0 PFF grade over his two outings and has totaled 1 tackle over 76 total snaps. He looked minorly better in week two, but in week one was never able to get remotely near the QB.”
‘Largely Invisible’ Following Week 1 Loss to Cincy
Bleacher Report’s Kristopher Knox put Bain on blast for his lack of impact in the Week 1 road loss to the Cincinnati Bengals — a game the Buccaneers seemed out of but scrapped their way back into at the end.
Both of their losses have been by 1 score.
“Rookie first-round pick Rueben Bain Jr. was largely invisible,” Knox wrote on September 19. “The 15th pick in April’s draft played 64 percent of the defensive snaps but finished with just one tackle, no sacks, and no QB pressures. Bain was arguably college football’s most disruptive defender in 2025 but fell in the draft due to concerns about arm length. He needs to prove that such concerns were unwarranted, and he needs to play much, much better to prove the Bucs right for stopping his slide in the middle of Round 1.”
Tampa Bay Buccaneers Get Bad Injury News on $24 Million 1st-Round Pick Rueben Bain Jr.