Hopeful Buccaneers look to first-round draft pick Rueben Bain Jr. to restore "no-losing mentality"

TAMPA, Fla. (AP) — The Tampa Bay Buccaneers are counting on first-round draft pick Rueben Bain Jr. to make a significant difference in their defense. The explosive edge rusher helped the Miami Hurricanes reach the college football national championship game last season, and the Bucs are confident his physical and emotional style of play will help them improve while regaining some of the swagger they lost during a second-half collapse in 2025. “He plays with a mentality — a no-losing mentality — at all times,” coach Todd Bowles said. “He fights and plays with the right kind of attitude and mentality that we're trying to bring to this team.” Tampa Bay dropped seven of nine games following a 6-2 start, stumbling to an 8-9 finish that halted a stretch of five consecutive playoff appearances. Bain and second-round selection Josiah Trotter, son of former Philadelphia Eagles linebacker Jeremiah Trotter Sr., join a defense that's being revamped in hopes of helping Baker Mayfield get the Bucs back on track. Trotter, younger brother of 2024 Eagles draft pick Jeremiah Trotter, Jr., will have an opportunity to fill an opening created by linebacker Lavonte David's retirement. “Josiah, he's just been groomed to play football his whole life growing up with his dad and his brother getting drafted a few years ago,” Bucs vice president of player personnel Mike Biehl said. The lack of a consistent pass rush undermined Tampa Bay's bid for a fifth straight NFC South title last season. The team finished with 37 sacks, it's lowest total under Bowles, who joined the Bucs as defensive coordinator in 2019 and was promoted to head coach three years later. The selection of Bane, who remained a top prospect despite published reports linking him to a 2024 traffic collision that resulted in the death of a passenger, addressed the team's biggest off-season need. Bowles called to the decision take him No. 15 overall a “no-brainer.” “It's beneficial that we addressed it with him," Bowles said. “There's a bunch of edge rushers in this draft. Not many can play like he plays, and play with the attitude he plays with, and the heavy hands he plays with, and fits the scheme that we play with, as well as the people he's going to be working with.”

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