With three weeks until the regular season for the Tampa Bay Buccaneers, Vita Vea is expected to miss at least four while healing up a sprained LCL.
After hurting his knee in practice last week that came back as an LCL sprain, defensive tackle is set to miss at least four weeks for the Tampa Bay Buccaneers. ESPN’s Jenna Laine reported yesterday that Friday’s MRI revealed the sprain, an injury that will not require surgery, but could sideline Vea up to eight weeks.
Yesterday during his press conference, head coach Bruce Arians said Vea is week-to-week for the Buccaneers as he recovers from his knee injury. This has the potential, if he comes back in four weeks, for Vea to be ready to roll week one as the Buccaneers take on the San Francisco 49ers.
Considering the lack of depth up front in the defensive trenches for the Buccaneers, getting Vea back at the start of the regular season would be a massive boost. Looking at the Buccaneers’ depth chart as it stands right now, Beau Allen would step in at nose tackle while Vea recovers next to William Gholston and Ndamukong Suh.
This is Vea’s second bout with injuries in as many years since becoming the 12th overall pick in the 2018 NFL Draft as he missed a significant amount of time during his rookie campaign as well. This pattern is starting to become a concern for Vea if it continues along this trend, especially as the Buccaneers are heading into a make-or-break season.
The Buccaneers will need to rely heavily on Vea this season, so do not expect even a snap in the preseason from him. The injuries are beginning to pile up as defensive starters Vea, Lavonte David, and Justin Evans are all out for the Buccaneers with just four weeks until the regular season.