NFL
Will Vita Vea and Calijah Kancey play for the Buccaneers against the Eagles? Defensive line injury status
The Tampa Bay Buccaneers were blown out by the Broncos last weekend and now face two key fitness concerns ahead of Sunday’s game.
The Tampa Bay Buccaneers saw their impressive early season form come to a shuddering halt last weekend when they suffered a heavy home defeat against the Denver Broncos. The Bucs made just one score in a 26-7 loss.
Head coach Todd Bowles will be hoping that his team can get back to winning ways on Sunday when they host the Philadelphia Eagles. Both teams boast a (2-1) record in 2024 but the Bucs come into the game with a number of injury issues.
On Wednesday’s injury report 15 starters were listed for Tampa Bay, with four non-participating and nine down as limited. However they could be boosted by the return to fitness of defensive linemen Vita Vea and Calijah Kancey, both of whom missed last weekend’s loss to Philadelphia.
Is Vita Vea playing for the Buccaneers this weekend?
The 29-year-old from Stanford, California joined the Bucs as the No. 12 overall pick at the 2018 NFL Draft and he’s gone on to be a stalwart for the team. Vea was a part of the Super Bowl LV-winning Bucs team and started at least 14 games in each of the past three seasons.
On Wednesday Vita Vea was fit to feature for a limited practice session for the Bucs as he continues his recovery from a knee injury. Vea was sidelined for the Week 3 match but looks like he may be back in contention to face the Eagles.
Is Calijah Kancey playing for the Buccaneers this weekend?
Another key defensive piece not involved in Wednesday practice was Calijah Kancey, who joined as a first round pick in 2023. Kancey started ten regular season games in 2023 but has not made an appearance so far in 2024 after suffering a calf injury ahead of the Bucs season opener.
He was back on the practice field this week and was seen working with trainers on Wednesday, a sign that he is nearing a return to the team. Bucs fans would love to see the Pittsburgh graduate back in the team but he faces a race against time to prove his fitness ahead of the Eagles game.
Nevertheless, Bowles has insisted that he’s feeling relaxed about the injury situation in Tampa Bay.
“Everybody is going to go through their lumps at some point, better now than mid-season,” the Buccaneers head coach said earlier this month. “It gives some young guys and some other guys some experience that can help us later on. We’re going to go with what we’ve got.”