The Tampa Bay Buccaneers are already entering Week 4 without Baker Mayfield, and the edge of the defensive line is now looking thinner still.
First-round rookie Rueben Bain Jr. worked off to the side during Friday’s practice, according to Fox Sports’ Greg Auman, and his participation through the week has made it straightforward to project him as inactive for a second consecutive game.
The Buccaneers are expected to elevate Yasir Holmes from the practice squad to help cover the absence.
Bain’s season has not matched the picture drawn in training camp. He was a regular in extra work after practice, and the staff treated him like a veteran in the preseason, limiting him to six snaps and holding him out of two of the three exhibition games.
The idea was that the former Miami standout did not need the reps.
The regular season has suggested otherwise. Across the first two weeks he logged 76 snaps, 39 of them rushing the passer and 31 against the run, with six drops into coverage. The production was two pressures and no run stops.
Head coach Todd Bowles later allowed that Bain may have been playing through something, which would help explain the slow start. The next day the groin injury appeared on the report, and Bain sat out Week 3.
He did not practice Wednesday or Thursday, and Friday looked limited at best. For a rookie who has already missed a game, that pattern makes a return on Sunday difficult to picture.
The timing is awkward because Bain is not the only edge rusher on the injury report. Yaya Diaby, whose season has fallen short of expectations, is dealing with calf and shoulder issues.
He sat out Wednesday and was limited Thursday, so his availability is less settled than Bain’s.
If both are unavailable, Al-Quadin Muhammad and Anthony Nelson would be the likely starters, with David Walker mixed in. Holmes would then be the fourth edge and could see a real role if Diaby cannot go.
Even if Diaby plays, Tampa Bay would still prefer Holmes as a fifth rusher for limited snaps.
At 0-3, the Buccaneers have reason to treat the coming weeks as developmental time for the draft class.
Bain will not be part of that work while the groin keeps him out, and the edge rotation will have to be rebuilt around whoever is healthy enough to play.
