Tampa Bay Buccaneers defensive tackle Vita Vea has unfortunately been sidelined with a knee injury, but luckily he seems to be making good progress. On August 9th, word leaked that Vea was dealing with an LCL sprain that was expected to sideline him for six-to-eight weeks.
That timeline would've made it pretty hard for him to get back for Week 1, but the team seems pretty optimistic about his chances. Speaking after the Bucs' most recent preseason game, head coach Bruce Arians said that they're still hoping he'll be ready for the opener, via Florida Football Insiders.
“He’s getting better and better everyday. No pain (in the knee). So, I’ve got my fingers crossed that he’s gonna be ready (opening day),” Arians said.
The injury certainly wasn't what Vea needed, as he missed a lot of time during his first training camp as well. As a rookie, Vea tore a calf muscle and missed the entire preseason as well as the first three games of the regular season.
When he returned to the field, Vea wasn't bad, but he was a bit of a disappointment considering his draft status. Tampa drafted Vea 12th overall out of Washington, so they had very high expectations for him. In 13 games and eight starts as a rookie last season, he had 28 tackles and three sacks.
The Bucs initially drafted Vea to play next to Gerald McCoy, but McCoy has since been released. They signed Ndamukong Suh earlier this offseason, and they're hoping they can now have an elite run-stuffing duo with those two. Hopefully, Vea continues to make good progress rehabbing his knee.
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