Jason Licht revealed that the Tampa Bay Buccaneers discussed trading back during the first round of the 2026 NFL Draft if Rueben Bain Jr. had been selected before they were on the clock.
Speaking with Kay Adams, Licht explained the Buccaneers had a cluster of prospects they liked, but Bain’s availability changed the direction of the room immediately. Rather than moving back for additional draft capital, Tampa Bay stayed put once the edge rusher unexpectedly remained available.
That response says a lot about how the organization viewed Bain internally by the end of the draft process. Tampa Bay entered the offseason searching for pass-rush help, and the front office clearly saw him as worth abandoning a trade-back strategy.
Licht also hinted that edge rusher likely would have remained the target even if the Buccaneers moved down. That lines up with how Tampa Bay approached the entire offseason, prioritizing disruption and front-seven pressure after finishing with only 37 sacks in 2025.
The interesting part is not just that Tampa Bay had contingency plans. It is that the board broke in a way that allowed the Buccaneers to address a premium need without sacrificing picks to do it.
This article originally appeared on Bucs Wire: Bucs GM Jason Licht talks through the Bucs draft plans from this year
Reporting by Mason Riney, Buccaneers Wire / Bucs Wire
USA TODAY Network via Reuters Connect
