Buccaneers Teammate Says Rueben Bain Jr Has A 'Mad, Mad, Mad Look'

The Tampa Bay Buccaneers' rushing attack has been futile for some time now, and head coach Todd Bowles and general manager Jason Licht have been looking to find a solution to their lacking pass rush for a few years now. The team has talented players like Yaya Diaby on the edge and Calijah Kancey up the middle, but with frequent injuries to Kancey and with Diaby facing numerous chips and roadblocks without much help, it's been tough sledding for the Bucs.

That all could change next season with the addition of Tampa Bay's No. 15 pick in Rueben Bain Jr. Bain was a standout edge rusher at Miami, netting 9.5 sacks and 15.5 tackles for loss last year, and he could be the missing piece for Tampa Bay's edge rushing unit. With Diaby and recent free agency pickup Al-Quadin Muhammad, things could look a lot different on the edge for the Bucs this year.

There's a good chance that few people are happier about Bain's arrival than Diaby. A strong edge rusher in his own right, Bain's production would free up Diaby to wreak havoc on the other side without chips and extra protection, and he could have one of his best years as a Buccaneer in 2026.

Bain has to perform for that scenario to happen. And during a recent appearance on the Up and Adams podcast, Diaby expressed that he thinks Bain has the attitude to be just that type of player for the Bucs.

Yaya Diaby praises new edge rushing partner Rueben Bain Jr.

Miami Hurricanes defensive end Rueben Bain Jr. poses on the red carpet before the 2026 NFL Draft | Kirby Lee-Imagn Images

Diaby told host Kay Adams that he can see how intense Bain is from his aura alone.

"Just by looking in his eyes, he's hungry. He got that mad, mad, mad look," Diaby said. "He's ready to get after it. You can see from the want that he has — he picked up the hat and went right to the stage. You can tell how hungry he is and how ready he is to get it... The whole pass rush class, the whole edge class, he was the best in my eyes. I'm just so happy to have him [as] part of this team."

"Just by looking in his eyes, he's hungry. He got that mad, mad, mad look" 😤

Bucs LB YaYa Diaby on his first impression of teammate Rueben Bain @ruebenbainjr | @greatyaya4 | @Buccaneers | @heykayadams pic.twitter.com/nTxxQCpV4Y
— Up & Adams (@UpAndAdamsShow) April 30, 2026

Diaby is clearly a big fan of Bain, but the feeling is mutual. Bain also spoke on Diaby after he got drafted, explaining that he already had a relationship with him dating back to when he was being recruited by Diaby's college team in Louisville.

"For me, it's deja vu all over again," Bain said of Diaby. "I had a good relationship with Yaya when he was at Louisville — I was getting recruited there, so it was just brief conversations that we had throughout that time... I have the utmost confidence that the guy on the other side is doing the same thing as me."

Bain will get some work in next week when rookie minicamp begins for the Buccaneers. Diaby will have to wait until Organized Team Activities before he can start practicing with him — if he chooses to skip those optional camp days instead, he'd make his debut at mandatory minicamp later on in the offseason.

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