3 Tampa Bay Buccaneers who could make first Pro Bowl in 2019
By Dylan Grimm
DT Vita Vea
Vita Vea is the second former first rounder to make the list, and for good reason other than him being a high pick. As our resident Site Expert Cory Kinnan wrote about last week, Vea is working on his “beach body” in an effort to stay on the field on passing downs instead of just rushing situations.
Vea has, up to this point in his career, been limited to stuffing running holes and being a big body who eats up space in the trenches. With the departure of Gerald McCoy and Jason Pierre-Paul likely out for the majority of the season, there will be more than enough snaps to go around for Vea and others.
After a quiet rookie season in which Vea missed three games, he totaled 28 total tackles, four quarterback hits and three sacks. Vea will he expected to produce at a much higher level than he did a year ago and with him slimming down from roughly 350 pounds it should lead to more reps and better stamina long term.
No longer just a nose tackle, Vea could be looking at reps as a 3-4 defensive end in new defensive coordinator Todd Bowles’ scheme. Should he excel under this new regime, he could be staring down a Pro Bowl appearance.