Vita Vea: Everything you need to know

Vea recorded 34 tackles (16 solo), including 4.5 sacks, two defensed passes and one fumble recovery across 17 regular-season games in 2025. The mammoth defensive tackle logged a whopping 760 snaps on defense while playing a full season's worth of games for the first time since 2019. Vea still saw a drop in his sack production after recording a career-high 7.0 QB takedowns in 2024, while his tackle tally was also his lowest over the last three seasons. Nevertheless, Vea remained a key cog on the Buccaneers' defensive front, and he remains under contract through the 2026 season at a cap hit of $22.2 million, per Spotrac.

Vea (back) has no injury designation ahead of Sunday's matchup against the Bills, Greg Auman of Fox Sports reports. The Buccaneers starting nose tackle upgraded from a limited practice session Thursday to a full go Friday, indicating that he has moved past his back injury enough to play in Sunday's road contest with the Bills. Cleared to play, the 347 pound Vea will likely be a large part of the Buccaneers' plan to stop Bills running back James Cook.

Vea (back) was a limited participant in Wednesday's walkthrough practice. Vea may have tweaked his back during the Buccaneers' Week 10 loss to the Patriots, when he posted two tackles (one solo) while playing 54 snaps (48 on defense, six on special teams). The veteran defensive tackle will have two more chances to increase his practice participation and avoid an injury designation for Sunday's game against Buffalo.