Buccaneers get major Rueben Bain Jr. update after injury scare

Multiple Tampa Bay Buccaneers players made it known they weren't thrilled with the club's performance in a joint practice with the Jacksonville Jaguars on Tuesday.

It appears that wasn't the most concerning Buccaneers-related news to emerge from the final Tuesday of August. 

Buccaneers fans get both concerning and good Rueben Bain Jr. injury news

On Wednesday, NFL insider Adam Schefter of ESPN revealed that Buccaneers rookie pass-rusher Rueben Bain Jr. is dealing with a shoulder injury -- specifically, an AC sprain. However, the setback is "nothing serious" and should not keep Bain from playing in the Buccaneers' regular-season opener at the Cincinnati Bengals on Sept. 13. 

Schefter mentioned that Bain participated in Tuesday's joint practice but was a spectator for Wednesday's session. One would think there's now no chance that Bain will play in Tampa Bay's preseason finale at the Jaguars this coming Friday.

Buccaneers have high expectations for Rueben Bain Jr.

The Buccaneers happily grabbed Bain when he fell to the 15th overall pick of the 2026 NFL Draft after arm-length concerns hovered over him throughout the predraft process. It was later said that he was left "hungry" and "mad" by his draft slide. On Wednesday, Pro Football Talk's Josh Alper pointed out that Bain "is expected to play a key role off the edge" for the Tampa Bay defense this fall. 

According to Scott Smith of the Buccaneers' website, the 37 sacks that Tampa Bay tallied last season represented "the team's lowest full-season total since 2018."

"The Buccaneers also blitzed on 35.0% of their pass rush snaps, the third-highest blitz rate in the NFL," Smith added. "In addition, their percentage of pressures that resulted in sacks was only 14.7%, the third-lowest mark in the league."

Meanwhile, Joshua Queipo of Pewter Report noted the game film showed Bain had an impressive outing over just six snaps in the Buccaneers' 16-15 preseason win over the Kansas City Chiefs on Aug. 22. Tampa Bay head coach Todd Bowles is likely hoping that was a preview of things to come, and Bowles seemingly can now prepare to have Bain available for the Week 1 clash in Cincinnati.