One of the big takeaways from OTAs is how the rookies look in their first session with the veterans. For Tampa Bay Buccaneers rookie Rueben Bain, he was being asked to do something that he almost never did in college. Bain was working on dropping into coverage and playing in space.
Bain played defensive tackle early in his college career before sliding out to the edge. Even on the edge, most of his snaps came with his hand in the dirt. This did not give Bain many chances to drop into coverage. Over the course of his college career, he dropped into coverage 21 times, and last year, he was in coverage just four times. That was a 0.72% rate last year, and a career 1.82% rate.
While he has not done it, that rate is going to increase in the NFL, so it makes sense that this is one of the early highlights of OTAs.
The Tampa Bay Buccaneers Drop Their Edge Rushers Into Coverage
GettyTodd Bowles enters 2026 on the hot seat
Bucs defensive coordinator Todd Bowles runs a base 3-4 look. Overall, Bain will be asked to do a lot of what he was doing in college. However, they ran a 4-3 front in Miami, so there will be slight differences. One difference is that Bowles will likely ask Bain to rush the passer from a standing position more. The other difference is that he will occasionally be asked to drop into coverage.
Bain will rush across from Yaya Diaby most often. Last year, Diaby had 61 snaps in coverage, a 12.3% rate. Over the past three years, he was in coverage for 179 snaps, a 13.5% rate.
So, last year, Diaby was in coverage for 57 more snaps, and over the course of Bains’ career, Diaby was in coverage for 158 more snaps. It is about a 12% increase. This is significantly higher than what Bain was being asked to do in college. So, while it comes off as a fun late spring practice clip, it is going to be important to watch his development in this area.
Bucs Hope a Revamped Edge Rusher Room Improves the Defense
Last year, the Bucs top four rushers featured Diaby, Hasson Reddick, Chris Braswell, and Anthony Nelson. The team moved on from Reddick, drafted Bain in the first round and also signed Al-Quadin Muhammad in free agency.
Now, their group features Diaby, Bain, Muhammad, and then Nelson and Braswell will compete for the last spot after both earned a roster spot last year. The bottom two competing for a depth position show the improvement in the depth. The addition of Bain in the first round gives them the potential for star power that they were lacking last year.
Last year, the Bucs had 37 sacks with Diaby leading the way with seven. However, the next edge rusher had just three sacks, which was behind Vita Vea and Lavonte David. SirVocea Dennis had three sacks as well, so the Bucs got 10 sacks from their top two edge rushers and six sacks from their top two off-ball linebackers.
The thought is that the room as a whole should have a lot more, thanks to the improved edge room.
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