Vita Vea Update

During the loss to Washington, the Buccaneers lost NT Vita Vea to the sidelines. With concern over a serious knee injury, the latest news that Vea sustained a bone bruise and MCL Sprain might be welcome – Greg Auman of The Athletic reported first.

The revelation of the MCL is no doubt worrying; however, this is a much less severe injury than was initially feared.

After missing a substantial stretch last year, the veteran Nose Tackle has been again frustrated by injury. The expected timescale for return is entirely dependent on the severity of the sprain, which will be known over the coming days.

What is certain is that the defensive line will be without one of the key players for at least a few weeks. The defensive unit is already hurting, and adding Vea to the list of inactive players is not what anyone wants to see.

Now it’s time for the backups to establish themselves and fill the very large cleats left by the absence of one of the most disruptive players in the NFL. I’d expect to see a lot more of Rakeem Nuñez-Roches filling in for Vea as he’s done very well doing so in the past.