Athletic Freak
First-round pick Rueben Bain Jr. will make his highly-anticipated rookie debut at Paycor Stadium against the Cincinnati Bengals on Sunday. Bain has monopolized headlines throughout the offseason workout program with his stunning, quick wins off the edge in one-on-one's and in his disruption at the line of scrimmage during the club's second preseason clash with the Chiefs. The former Hurricane led the nation in pressures in 2025 with 83 and is able to win with both speed and power. Bain has an advanced rush repertoire and plan to bait tackles with a leveraged attack. He has elite bend and ankle flexion for his size and routinely collapses the pocket with violence. Bain overpowers blockers with a variety of moves including a lethal hump and he can dip his shoulder and get around the corner with a stout lower half. Bucs' left tackle Tristan Wirfs gave the rookie lofty praise when asked about Bain's ceiling in 2026.
"He is a freak," noted Wirfs. "His bend, his motor, his determination and everything. I do not know if I want to put expectations [on him]. I think being a first-round pick, you already have such high expectations for yourself and coaches have high expectations for you, but I think what you put on yourself is second to none and I think he is going to go out there and give it his all…Going to be a tough day if you are blocking "3." I am really excited for him and excited to watch him in action."
Accounting for Disruption
The Bengals' revamped their defensive line during the offseason with Dexter Lawrence II and Jonathan Allen. Lawrence leads the league in total pressures with 103 among defensive tackles since 2022, an anomaly from the nose spot. He intimidates at the point of attack and quickly disengages from single blocks. Lawrence defeats double teams and is still able to work his way into the backfield. The menacing bull-rusher poses a challenge for the interior of the Bucs' offensive line, and the visiting team will be mindful of where he is on every snap.
"Yeah, you've got to account for him at all times," described Zac Robinson. "He's very disruptive for how big he is – the athleticism and the pop that he has – snap in and snap out from a pass-rush standpoint, from a run-game standpoint. He's got everything. He's got every tool. So, you know, it's a great challenge for our guys. Obviously, you know, it's up to us to keep mixing up different looks and whatnot. But yeah, he's a handful up front. I know our guys are excited for the challenge."
Rookie Ascension
With injuries to both Jalen McMillan (knee) and Emeka Egbuka (toe) throughout the offseason workout program, Ted Hurst III received increased reps, accelerating his growth and chemistry with Baker Mayfield. Hurst showcased his ability to climb the ladder during joint practices, working over the top of cornerbacks. He posted 71 receptions for 1,004 yards for Georgia State in 2025 along with six touchdowns. Hurst can create vertical push with long strides and possesses effective footwork at the top of routes. He is adept at tracking the ball downfield and can play above the rim with a large catch radius. During his collegiate tenure, 70.9 percent of his catches resulted in either a first down or a touchdown.
"He's shown that, from his college days to now, I mean, he just goes out and plays, and nothing is too big no matter who he's matched up with, whether it's against our defense or some of the guys in the Jets game [when] he was playing against some of their starters and Brandon Stephens," said Robinson. "Some of those guys have been good corners for a long time. So, you know, it'll be interesting to see just how everything plays out with him. He's done an outstanding job from a mental standpoint. That's always the unknown is just, all right, how much can these guys absorb in a short amount of time? It's a lot of verbiage. It's a lot of new stuff. He's done a great job really from that rookie minicamp. We were impressed with just how much he was able to pick up in a short amount of time. Then you look at where he started from training camp…Sometimes guys can lose sight of some things when they have that summer break. It took a little bit to get going once we got back from training camp. Then, really from Week 2 and on, he's just continued to ascend. He's doing a great job. It's great that Baker [Mayfield] got a bunch of reps with him to feel the movement and the different type of throws that you can activate with him out there. I'm excited for Ted, excited for all those guys, but he's done an outstanding job all training camp up to now."
