A late-August health setback isn't expected to derail the Tampa Bay Buccaneers' defense. According to ESPN's Adam Schefter, Rueben Bain Jr. suffered an AC sprain. Yet the injury is considered "nothing serious," and the rookie edge rusher remains on track to play Tampa Bay's Week 1 game against the Cincinnati Bengals.
The Buccaneers drafted Bain with the No. 15 pick after he led the Miami Hurricanes to the College Football Playoff National Championship Game with 9.5 sacks. Widely considered a potential top-10 pick, the All-American slipped down the first round amid concerns about his arm length. "I just know that whatever team end up picking me (is) going to get the best out of me, going to get the best player in the draft," Bain said at this year's NFL Scouting Combine, per ESPN's John Keim.
Buccaneers general manager Jason Licht said he was "very excited" to draft Bain, telling reporters after the opening round that he "would have taken him a lot earlier." "His passion for the game, his passion for wanting to be the best," Licht said of Bain. "He likes edge and brings that out there. And the guy practices the same way that he plays, and football is one of the most important things of his life." Bain enters his first year with high expectations.
Earlier this week, ESPN analyst Domonique Foxworth predicted that the 21-year-old will win Defensive Rookie of the Year and elevate the Buccaneers to Super Bowl contention. Barring a setback, Bain can still make his NFL debut when the Buccaneers play the Bengals on Sunday, Sept. 13.
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