The Tampa Bay Buccaneers have had a strong start to their season, going 2-0 in their first couple of games. They’ve done so without first-round pick Vita Vea, who has been sidelined for a couple of months due to a calf strain he suffered during training camp.

But the good news is that Vea is finally back in practice per JoeBucsFan.com. He could even make his NFL debut on Monday night against the Pittsburgh Steelers.

The 12th overall draft pick in the 2018 NFL draft, Vea was expected to partner Pro Bowler Gerald McCoy in the interior of the Buccaneers’ defensive line this season. Beau Allen, who came over in free agency this offseason from the Philadelphia Eagles, has been starting in place of Vea for the first couple of games this season.

Vea is a run-stopping specialist who should help shore up a run defense which was below average last season. Through two weeks, that run defense has fared reasonably well even without Vea. After allowing the Saints just 43 rushing yards on 13 carries, they limited the Eagles to 91 yards on 3.8 yards per carry. Unfortunately, the Buccaneers’ pass defense remains highly suspect.

Even if Vea does play on Monday night, he's not likely to get a lot of snaps immediately upon his return from such a long layoff. Still, his ability to help stop the run should come in handy against the Steelers, who remain dangerous on the ground even without Le’Veon Bell with James Conner showing he’s capable of putting up big numbers.