Tampa Bay Buccaneers defensive linesman Vita Vea had to be carted off the field towards the closing moments of Thursday night's contest between the Bucs and the Chicago Bears. This comes as a terrible development for both Tampa Bay and Vea, who himself was having quite a game against the Bears.

This report comes via Jonathan Jones of CBS Sports:

The extent of Vea's injury remains unclear at the moment, but the fact that he needed to be stretchered off the pitch does not look good. A more concrete update should be available on the 25-year-old's status moving forward, and we will be sure to pass along any of them as they come.

Vea has been battling injuries for what feels like his entire NFL tenure to date. The 6-foot-4 lineman was drafted by the Buccaneers 12th overall back in 2018, and has since been on and off the field. To be fair, Vea did not miss a single game for the Bucs in 2019, but he did undergo a minor surgical hand procedure prior to this season.

Aside from that, Vea also tore his LCL back in August, which cast a shadow on his availability for Week 1 of the new season. The former Washington standout was ultimately able to suit up for Tampa Bay in the season opener, but this latest injury might just cost him some time.

It was the Bears who emerged with the victory on Thursday, downing the Bucs by a score 20-19. Tampa Bay is now 3-2, and a potential long-term injury to one of their key guys in Vea is clearly not an ideal scenario for them.