Tampa Bay Buccaneers defensive tackle Vita Vea underwent a minor procedure to address an unspecified hand injury; a source told ESPN's Adam Schefter on Saturday.
Vea is expected to miss some time early in training camp, which is scheduled to begin July 28. However, the 25-year-old is expected to be fully healthy once the regular season begins.
This past season, Vea established himself as one of the league's most dominant interior defenders, recording a career-high 35 tackles to go along with 2.5 sacks and 12 quarterback hits. Furthermore, Vea played an integral role in Tampa Bay's run defense, which allowed the fewest rushing yards in the league at just a 73.8 rushing yards per game.
Vea also became the first player since 2014 to record a sack and catch a touchdown pass in the same game. In Week 11 against the Atlanta Falcons, he caught a 1-yard scoring toss from quarterback Jameis Winston. Vea, who weighs 347 pounds, is believed to be the heaviest player to catch a touchdown pass since 1950.
As for the Buccaneers, they'll also be without another of their top defensive players to start training camp. Linebacker Jason Pierre-Paul recently underwent arthroscopic surgery on his left knee and will need three to four weeks to recover. With that being said, the Buccaneers don't have much depth at defensive tackle.
The Buccaneers currently have Rakeem Nunez-Roches Ndamukong Suh, and sixth-round pick Khalil Davis at defensive tackle on the active roster. Nevertheless, barring any injuries, the Buccaneers have a legitimate chance to win Super Bowl LV.
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