TAMPA - The Tampa Bay Buccaneers will be without both of their first two draft picks Sunday when they host the Minnesota Vikings, as head coach Todd Bowles confirmed after Friday’s practice that rookie linebackers Rueben Bain Jr. and Josiah Trotter have been ruled out for Week Three.

Bain, an outside linebacker out of Miami, is dealing with a groin injury sustained in last Sunday’s game against the Cleveland Browns and did not participate in any team practices this week. He has also been managing a separate shoulder issue. Trotter, a linebacker out of Missouri, is nursing a shoulder ailment of his own. He took part in some individual-position drills Friday but did not receive medical clearance to play.

“It’s a low-grade sprain,” Bowles said of Trotter’s injury. “It’s probably a toleration thing. We’ll see how he feels.”

The absences are a significant blow to a linebacker corps that leaned heavily on both rookies to open the season. Trotter leads the Buccaneers with 21 tackles through two games and has added two tackles for loss, 1.0 sack and one interception he returned 38 yards for a touchdown against the Cincinnati Bengals in Week One. Bain has recorded one tackle in two games.

Bowles said SirVocea Dennis and Christian Rozeboom will see action at linebacker alongside Alex Anzalone in Trotter’s absence. Dennis logged nine snaps after Trotter went down against Cleveland. Rozeboom, who signed with the Buccaneers as a free agent this offseason, has not yet taken a defensive snap in a regular-season game.

At edge rusher, the Buccaneers will have four options available to fill Bain’s role opposite Yaya Diaby: Anthony Nelson, Al-Quadin Muhammad and David Walker are all candidates to draw a start, with all three expected to see increased snaps. Walker recorded his first career sack against the Browns while playing nine defensive snaps.

Quarterback Baker Mayfield, who dealt with an illness earlier in the week that pushed his Wednesday media availability to Thursday, was a full participant in practice and is not on the injury report. Since taking over as the Buccaneers’ starter at the beginning of the 2023 season, Mayfield has started 56 consecutive games, including playoffs, completing passes at a rate that ranks him second among all NFL quarterbacks with 96 touchdown passes and third with 12,635 passing yards in that span.

Kickoff against the Vikings is set for Sunday.