The Tampa Bay Buccaneers are fearful that defensive tackle Vita Vea may be sidelined for the remainder of this season due to the ankle injury he sustained in Thursday night's 20-19 loss to the Chicago Bears, according to a report from ESPN's Adam Schefter.
Buccaneers fear that DT Vita Vea suffered a season-ending broken ankle last night, per source. Vea undergoing an MRI today to confirm.
— Adam Schefter (@AdamSchefter) October 9, 2020
Unfortunately, Vea's injury appeared to be fairly significant. His right foot bent awkwardly under teammate Devin White while making a tackle. He was later carted off the field.
This is a tough blow for the Buccaneers as Vea was enjoying a fine season. He's racked up two sacks in five games, and he was playing well in Thursday night's game. He had the Bucs' first sack of the night and logged a quarterback hit to go along with a tackle for loss. In total, he had three tackles.
Vea is scheduled to undergo an MRI on Friday, according to ESPN.
“It’s a big loss,” Buccaneers head coach Bruce Arians said, via tampabay.com. “You don’t have another Vita, that’s for sure. But other guys who step in and step up and take it.”
If Vea misses extended time, it could lead to more snaps for defensive tackle Rakeem Nunez-Roches, who sometimes fills the nose tackle spot when Vea is not in games. Making things a bit worse is the fact that the Bucs already lost tight end O.J. Howard to a season-ending Achilles injury. Still, the team is currently ranked second in run defense, allowing just 64.3 yards a game.
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