NFL Offseason Check-In: After Warren Sapp Tribute, Rueben Bain Seeks to Forge Own Path

TAMPA, Fla. — The parallel was already easy to make for Rueben Bain Jr. A consensus All-American who wreaked havoc at the front of a University of Miami defense but fell unexpectedly and landed in the middle of the first round with the Tampa Bay Buccaneers? That was Bain two weeks ago, when the Buccaneers were thrilled to get him at No. 15, but it also happened 31 years ago. So, when Bain arrived at Bucs rookie minicamp on Thursday wearing a black retro Warren Sapp No. 99 jersey, it was a nostalgic nod to a first-ballot Hall of Famer, but also a reminder of how confident he is, and how excited his new team is about the potential they see in him. “He’s got an old soul, so to speak,” coach Todd Bowles said at the podium after Bain’s first practice Friday afternoon. “He understands his lineage. He understands the guys who came before him. They’ve got a lot of great players down at the University of Miami … he understands how to pay homage to the guys that came before him down there and he’s tried to pattern his game like that. He’s a very smart player, not just a tough player. He understands what he’s walking into and what he wants to be.” And as Bain was fitted with his first NFL helmet, he made a video call to Sapp, who he knew from his Hurricane days, showing a real connection between one of the best players in Bucs history and the franchise’s future. “It was a full-circle moment,” Bain said at the podium on Friday, sharing he had traded texts with Sapp when he got drafted as the older ‘Cane reminded him that Tampa was “his city.” But Bain didn’t go out and buy a Sapp throwback. This was an old jersey, older than Bain himself, as one of his friends in Miami sent him a pic of the Sapp jersey “in the back of his closet.” There was already a no-nonsense vibe to Bain from draft night, when after waiting longer than most anyone expected him to hear his name called, he walked past an NFL selfie mirror set up for draft picks, grabbing the Bucs hat set out for him without even breaking stride. On Friday, given the chance to step on an NFL practice field for the first time, wearing his own new No. 3 jersey, Bain relented and allowed himself to smile and enjoy the excitement of a new chapter in his football career. “I’ve been on Cloud Nine ever since I walked in,” said Bain, who had 9.5 sacks and 15.5 tackles for loss in helping Miami to the national championship game last season. “Just enjoying the process, enjoying where I’m at. I’m happy. I’m where I’m supposed to be. I’m with my friends and my team, I’m home. I can’t complain about anything.” The Bucs were elated to have Bain fall to them at 15, as edge rusher has been a major need for them and a catalyst in Bowles’ attacking defense. Tampa Bay also hadn’t drafted a player from Miami in Jason Licht’s first 12 years as general manager, but he took two, in Bain and nickel defensive back Keionte Scott in the fourth round, hoping to import the toughness and aura from their college success. “I love that he’s very unique, where he’s got a great blend of power and athleticism,” Licht said on draft night. “He can bend, he’s got get-off, he’s very powerful, he’s got very explosive not just athleticism, but powerful hands, powerful strength and he plays very edgy. He plays with a chip on his shoulder.” Bain was viewed as one of the top edge rushers in the 2026 draft in the lead-up to the event, with several mock drafts projecting him to be a top-10 pick. Our draft analyst, Rob Rang, had him at No. 7 on his big board, placing third among edge rushers. Rang gave the Buccaneers an A-minus grade for the pick, and Tampa a B grade for its overall draft haul due to the selection. However, Bain faced criticism about his arms being shorter than most pass rushers at 30 and 7/8 inches — “Mike Tyson had short arms, too,” Licht said the night he drafted him — but the Bucs trusted the dominance they saw on tape in his three seasons at Miami, totaling 20.5 sacks, one more than Sapp finished with as a defensive tackle for the Hurricanes. They don’t need him to be Sapp, who helped Tampa Bay to its first Super Bowl in the 2002 season during a run of seven straight Pro Bowl nods. But Bain has an excitement of his own — a much-needed positivity for a team that lost seven of its last nine games last season to miss the playoffs for the first time since 2019. Two franchise icons are gone in linebacker Lavonte David, who retired, and receiver Mike Evans, who signed with the San Francisco 49ers in free agency, so the Buccaneers needed a new face and source of optimism. This week is the first step for Bain, getting to know his fellow rookies before he soon begins work with the full team, trying to earn their respect and trust entering a season where the Bucs are still the odds-on favorite to win the NFC South. Bain made headlines with someone else’s jersey, but it might not be long before fans are wearing his No. 3 in the stands. “It was a sense of pride,” Bain said of his decision to pay tribute to Sapp. “I feel like it speaks on the brotherhood we have at the University of Miami, and it speaks on the amount of pride I’ve got where I’m at right now.”