The Buccaneers may have a new look at nose tackle in 2024

Vita Vea might be in a, well, different jersey (and body) this season.

The Tampa Bay Buccaneers drafted Vita Vea in the first round of the 2018 NFL Draft. Vea has since established himself as one of the best defensive tackles in the league. Vita Vea’s return from injury in 2020 may live on as one of the most underrated reasons the 2020 Tampa Bay Buccaneers were crowned Super Bowl champions. His insertion into Tampa’s playoff run yielded palpable, instantaneous, indirect impact. With Vea back in the lineup, Tampa’s pass-rush tore through the Green Bay Packers‘ offensive line in the NFC Championship game and then through Patrick Mahomes’ protection the next time they took field. Vea has been able to impact the passing game directly as well. Despite being a true nose tackle, over the past three seasons, he has tallied 16 sacks to go along with over 100 tackles.

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The former Huskie turned his rookie deal into a four year $71,000,000 contract on January 8th, 2022. So number 50 will still be starting on the interior of Tampa Bay’s defensive line in 2024, but will that number 50 need a smaller jersey?

Todd Bowles was asked about his nose tackles’ apparent newly discovered passion for health and fitness. Bowles responded saying, “He’s having a great offseason… We look for him to come back stronger and faster and quicker… We’ve talked about it for a long time. He’s finally taking it to heart… He’s really making the strides and the changes necessary.”

At the Combine, in 2018, Vea weighed in at a shade beneath 250 lb. The Buccaneers still have his official weight listed at 247 lbs. though team rosters are not usually the most reliable sources for updated player measurables.

There are very few positions where players can function at a high level even if they are potentially overweight— Nose tackles have that advantage, however, a leaner, quicker, and still strong Vita Vea may be a significant problem for offensive linemen next season. Vea’s official on-scale weight might not ever be public knowledge but it will be interesting to see how number 50 looks in pads next fall.

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