The Bucs spent the entire offseason searching for an identity.

Pillars of the team’s identity left the building, with wide receiver Mike Evans leaving and inside linebacker Lavonte David retiring. Pair that with head coach Todd Bowles sticking around for another season, and the fanbase was mostly pessimistic — until the 2026 NFL Draft happened.

The selection of outside linebacker Rueben Bain Jr. has provided the team with the “nasty edge” it was looking for on defense. As a whole, the draft class brought in exciting players who will look to add energy, production, and depth where needed most.

Bucs edge Rueben Bain Jr., GM Jason Licht and HC Todd Bowles – Photo by: Cliff Welch P/R

Joining us on the Pewter Report Podcast to discuss this recently was former Pewter Report alum and NFL Stock Exchange Host Trevor Sikkema! Sikkema joined Pewter Report’s Scott Reynolds and Matt Matera for just under an hour this past week, providing his analysis of Tampa Bay selecting Bain and his thoughts about each draft pick.

When it came to Bain, it is clear that he has completely changed the vibe surrounding the team.

In Sikkema’s mind, he will alter and improve the Bucs’ defensive front by leaps and bounds in 2026. The conversation centered on what Bain represents for the Bucs’ defensive future as a potential tone-setter who can restore that edge identity Tampa Bay has been searching for since the days of Jason Pierre-Paul and Shaq Barrett wreaking havoc.

Bain’s game at Miami turned heads as he plays with leverage, violence at the point of attack, and a motor that does not stop between snaps. That kind of presence is exactly what the Bucs have cycled through pass rushers trying to find in recent years.

The best defensive stretches in the Bowles era have come when the edge group plays with a visible edge by winning early downs, wrecking protection schemes, and making quarterbacks uncomfortable. Bain fits that mold in a way that feels more instinctive than schematic, and his addition will make the entire group better as a result.

Hear what Sikkema had to say about this to Reynolds and Matera in this brief video.

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Watch Trevor Sikkema Discuss Rueben Bain Jr. On The Pewter Report Podcast

Click the link below to watch and hear what Trevor Sikkema had to say about the Bucs drafting Rueben Bain Jr.

If you want to hear Sikkema’s full thoughts about Bain and the rest of Tampa Bay’s 2026 draft class from last week (of course you do), click the link below to watch the entire podcast.