Vita Vea is a standout defensive tackle who is still in the early days of his career. However, his health may not let him start the season on time with his Buccaneers teammates.

While the entire NFL is busy trying to trim their teams to 53 men, head coach Bruce Arians addressed the injury issues that surround the team. He said that his situation is still looking unclear:

“He’s progressing very nicely,” Arians said per Matt Matera of Pewter Report. “I’ll know more by Tuesday and he’ll be here all weekend working out. It’ll be close, but I think he’ll be there.”

The Buccaneers will miss his production on the defensive tackle if he doesn't make his recovery on time. Vea only started eight of the 13 games he played in as a rookie last season but showed enough promise. He made 28 tackles, four which were for loss. He also made four QB hits and three sacks.

Arians also said that Lavonte David has gone under the knife for his knee and is in intense rehab. He said that the linebacker will be fine to return for the team's season opener against the San Francisco 49ers.

They definitely need Vea's production as they are playing in a cutthroat NFC South. With teams like the New Orleans Saints, Atlanta Falcons, and Carolina Panthers, they could use as much defensive cover that they could. It will be unfortunate if he doesn't recover on time and provide help to his team. He is surely doing everything in his power to make sure that he's on the sideline by kickoff.