Bucs prepare to face Vikings without rookie starters Bain and Trotter

Tampa Bay expects to face Minnesota on Sunday without both rookie defensive starters it added at the top of the draft. Outside linebacker Rueben Bain Jr. is officially out with a groin injury. Linebacker Josiah Trotter appears as doubtful with a shoulder injury on the final injury report, while coach Todd Bowles said Friday that Trotter would not be in the lineup. The distinction matters: the written designation and the coach's statement differ, but neither supports treating Trotter as available.

Both rookies started the first two games, according to the Buccaneers' Friday team update. Bain missed all three practices this week. Trotter missed Wednesday and Thursday and did individual work Friday without getting clearance to return, Bowles said. The injuries were sustained against Cleveland last Sunday. For an 0-2 team preparing for a 2-0 opponent, the absences remove a starter from both the edge and the interior linebacker group.

Trotter's production makes the middle of the defense the sharper personnel question. Tampa Bay credits him with a team-leading 21 tackles through two games, plus two tackles for loss, a sack and an interception returned 38 yards for a touchdown in Week 1. Bowles said SirVocea Dennis and Christian Rozeboom will play alongside Alex Anzalone in Trotter's absence. Dennis logged nine defensive snaps after Trotter was hurt last week; Rozeboom has not yet taken a defensive snap for the club, according to the team update. The exact division of Sunday's work remains unannounced.

On the edge, the Buccaneers said Anthony Nelson, Al-Quadin Muhammad and David Walker could all take more snaps opposite Yaya Diaby. Walker recorded his first career sack against Cleveland while playing nine defensive snaps, the team reported. Bain, a first-round pick and opening starter, has one tackle through two games. That modest box-score total does not erase the change in Tampa Bay's intended front; Bowles must replace the starter's snaps and role.

The Vikings' side of Friday's report lists center Nick Samac and punter Brett Thorson out. Several others, including Aaron Jones and Brian O'Neill, finished the week with full practice and no game designation. Sunday's 4:05 p.m. Eastern kickoff leaves time for final inactives, but the Bucs' defensive plan is already being reshaped around Bain and Trotter. No specific replacement starter or snap count is confirmed in the official reporting.