The Tampa Bay Buccaneers spent a first-round pick on Rueben Bain expecting immediate impact.
Tampa Bay desperately needed help along its beleaguered pass rush. Unfortunately, Bain was nowhere to be found during Sunday’s season-opening loss.
Bain Had A Brutal NFL Debut
Bain entered his first NFL game carrying significant expectations. The Buccaneers selected him in the first round because they believed he could immediately change their defense.
Instead, Bain barely made an impact against Cincinnati.
The rookie finished with zero sacks, zero pressures, zero stops, and just one tackle. He played 41 defensive snaps but rarely influenced the game.
That’s an extremely disappointing debut for a player Tampa Bay expects to become a cornerstone. The Buccaneers needed their first-round pass rusher to show something against Cincinnati.
They got virtually nothing.
The Bengals Presented A Real Opportunity
Cincinnati’s offensive line wasn’t exactly entering the season with overwhelming expectations. One analyst ranked the unit among the five worst offensive lines in the NFL. That made Sunday’s matchup an opportunity for Bain to announce himself.
Instead, the rookie was effectively erased.
Bain spent much of the afternoon matched against Amarius Mims. Mims didn’t allow a single pressure during 38 pass-blocking snaps, according to PFF.
Bain finished the game with a 40.1 PFF grade. That number tells the story of just how little impact he had.
Tampa Bay Needs Much More From Bain
Nobody should write off Bain after one NFL game. Rookie pass rushers often need time to adjust to professional offensive linemen.
But there’s also no reason to pretend this performance was acceptable. Tampa Bay drafted Bain in the first round because the defense needed immediate playmakers.
The Buccaneers didn’t need Bain to become a superstar overnight. They needed him to create some problems.
He didn’t create any.
Zero pressures means Bain never consistently threatened the Bengals’ quarterback. Zero sacks means he never finished a play behind the line of scrimmage.
Even his lone tackle couldn’t change the game’s complexion. For a player expected to become a major piece of Tampa Bay’s defense, that’s a forgettable debut.
Bain Has To Respond
The good news is that Bain has an entire season to change the narrative. One bad game shouldn’t define a first-round pick.
The problem is that Tampa Bay needs him to start changing that narrative quickly. The Buccaneers cannot afford to wait indefinitely for their premier rookie pass rusher to emerge.
Bain has the talent that made him a first-round selection. Now he needs to start showing it on Sundays.
Sunday’s performance wasn’t good enough. If Tampa Bay is going to improve its pass rush, Bain has to become part of the solution.
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