TAMPA — Buccaneers Head Coach Todd Bowles said he expects first-round pick Rueben Bain Jr. to play in the Week One opener against the Cincinnati Bengals after the rookie pass rusher returned to practice following a shoulder injury that sidelined him during a joint practice in Jacksonville.
“We were expecting him to play,” Bowles said. “He said he’s feeling good, so we’re going to roll with that. He feels good and we’re going to play with it.”
Bain, the former Miami pass-rushing standout drafted 15th overall, had been pulled from last Tuesday’s joint practice in Jacksonville with the shoulder issue, raising questions about his availability. He was back on the field a week later. Both General Manager Jason Licht and Bowles have said the team’s current outside linebacker rotation has the greatest depth of talent than at another point in their respective tenures in Tampa — making Bain’s addition a centerpiece of the defensive front’s retooling.
The news was less certain for wide receivers Emeka Egbuka and Jalen McMillan, who remained sidelined Tuesday morning with toe and knee injuries, respectively. Both have missed multiple weeks of work, though Bowles expressed cautious optimism about their availability for the opener.
“I’ll feel better when I see next week,” Bowles said. “Right now, they’re day by day, week by week. We’ll see how they come along next week.”
Offensive tackle Benjamin Chukwuma and rookie guard Billy Schrauth returned to practice Tuesday after missing time with minor injuries. Tackle Justin Skule and linebacker Christian Rozeboom remained out. Bowles was uncertain whether Rozeboom would be cleared in time for Cincinnati.
“He’s dealing with a foot injury,” the coach said. “He’s doing some running. I don’t know how far away he’ll be. He’ll be close. We’ll see if he makes it.”
The Buccaneers open the regular season against the Bengals in Week One, with final injury designations expected next week.