NEW YORK (AP) — San Francisco 49ers All-Pro running back Christian McCaffrey, Minnesota Vikings running back Aaron Jones Sr. and Dallas Cowboys tight end Jake Ferguson are the finalists for the 15th annual Salute to Service Award.
The award is given to a person who displays “exceptional efforts” to honor and support members of the military community. The winner will be recognized at NFL Honors on Feb. 5 during Super Bowl week.
The finalists were announced Thursday by the NFL and USAA.
Niners tight end George Kittle, the 2024 Salute to Service Award recipient, will be among the judges.
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San Francisco 49ers running back Christian McCaffrey (23) runs the ball during the second half of an NFL wild-card playoff football game against the Philadelphia Eagles on Sunday, Jan. 11, 2026, in Philadelphia. (AP Photo/Derik Hamilton)
TAMPA, Fla. (AP) — The Tampa Bay Buccaneers didn't hesitate to try to fix their pass rush woes by selecting Rueben Bain Jr. with the 15th pick in the NFL draft on Thursday night.
One of the top prospects available, even after published reports linked him to a traffic collision that resulted in the death of a passenger, Bain helped Miami to an appearance in the College Football Playoff national championship game in January and is confident he's a good fit for the Bucs.
Tampa Bay general manager Jason Licht feels the same way. He said the team did its homework on the 6-foot-3, 275-pound Bain, who had 20 1/2 sacks in three seasons in college.
“We've known about this for a long time,” Licht said of the accident Bain was involved in March 2024. "I know it just came out a couple of weeks ago. It was a very tragic accident. Tragic experience for the family. It's something you never want to see happen.
“He's a good person,”" the GM added. “Was involved in something none of us ever want to be involved in, never want any of our loved ones to be involved."
Bain, speaking from the draft in Pittsburgh via Zoom, did not say much about the accident or how he has coped with news of the collision breaking in the weeks leading up to the draft.
“Everything has its ups and downs. I try to make everything as simple as it possibly can be, try to prioritize whatever I can prioritize at the moment,” the 21-year-old said.
Bain, whose position coach at Miami was Hall of Famer Jason Taylor, said he was relieved when his name was called. He said he has family in Tampa and expects a smooth transition to the NFL.
The Bucs went 8-9 last season, losing seven of nine games following a 6-2 start to end a string of five consecutive playoff appearances that included a Tom Brady-led Super Bowl run during the 2020 season. The lack of a consistent pass rush was one of the biggest problems on defense.
Inside linebacker, tight end and cornerback are other priorities Licht and coach Todd Bowles could address during the three-day draft. Barring trades, Tampa Bay has three of the top 77 selections overall and at least one pick in each of the final six rounds.
The team began an overhaul of the defense this winter after losing linebacker Lavonte David to retirement and not bringing back cornerback Jamel Dean and linebacker Haason Reddick, who became free agents. Defensive end Al-Quadin Muhammad signed a one-year deal with the Bucs in March after having a career-best 11 sacks with the Detroit Lions last season, and the Bucs also landed linebackers Alex Anzalone and Christian Rozeboom in free agency.
Tampa By finished with 37 sacks last season, the team's lowest total since Bowles, who continue to call defensive plays, joined the Bucs as defensive coordinator in 2019.
Bain can hardly wait to get started.
“I feel like I'll fit in just fine,” Bain said. “Bowles is an aggressive-like minded coach and I'm an aggressive-like minded player. I feel like it's 2 and 2 put together. It's going to be real simple, real smooth.”
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Miami defensive lineman Rueben Bain Jr. poses with NFL Commissioner Roger Goodell after being chosen by the Tampa Bay Buccaneers with the 15th overall pick during the first round of the NFL football draft, Thursday, April 23, 2026, in Pittsburgh. (AP Photo/Gene J. Puskar)
Miami defensive lineman Rueben Bain Jr. celebrates with fans after being chosen by the Tampa Bay Buccaneers with the 15th overall pick during the first round of the NFL football draft, Thursday, April 23, 2026, in Pittsburgh. (AP Photo/Sue Ogrocki)
Miami defensive lineman Rueben Bain Jr. walks on stage before the first round of the NFL football draft, Thursday, April 23, 2026, in Pittsburgh. (AP Photo/Gene J. Puskar)
