Todd Bowles Calls Vita Vea His “Centerpiece “
August 21st, 2026
Happy coach.
Boy, Bucs coach Todd Bowles was sure breathing a sigh of relief when he had his Thursday press briefing.
Bowles was enjoying life knowing Vita Vea likely will be around another two years. And now Bowles can go back to banking on Vea anchoring his defense.
Just a couple of weeks after his agent demanded a trade, Vea and the Bucs agreed on a raise and contract extension after cooler heads prevailed. Basically, Vea gets a $6 million raise this year and a fat $24 million for 2027.
For Bowles, it was Christmas in August.
“We know what he brings to our defense – he’s the centerpiece of it,” Bowles said. “Obviously, he’s a big part in the run game and the pass rush as well.
“So, to get him back in the fold and start getting him working in with the other guys is good.”
It’s better than good. Joe doesn’t think it is nuts to suggest with Calijah Kancey, A’Shawn Robinson and Vea, the Bucs may have one of the best interior defensive lines in the league. Certainly the best in the NFC South landfill.
The trick will be keeping these guys healthy, especially Kancey. But at least the Bucs have really good depth at defensive tackle.
August 21st, 2026 at 9:06 am
We’re about to play the second preseason game, and there isn’t anyone on IR yet. I think this is going to be the big year when we don’t get any huge injuries
August 21st, 2026 at 9:09 am
Beeej don’t jinx..
AND…VV is one huge centerpiece……
August 21st, 2026 at 9:13 am
Can’t forget Elijah Roberts and DeMonte Capehart, Joe. Those guys looked good against Jets’ depth players, and honestly I’m looking forward to seeing both those guys @KC.
Having Vita is also going to help keep Trotter & Anzalone cleaner, especially in run defense. So, when teams try to run those stretch runs on us, they don’t have to worry about the center & guards gettin to the second level to impede their pursuit. Obviously, his presence is going to make those A-gap blitz lanes less congested as well.
August 21st, 2026 at 9:22 am
Vita is needed even more with the lack of CBs on this roster….
DLine is looking solid….we should play CK94 more on the edge to avoid injuries…slide him inside on 3rd down
GO BUCS!!!!
August 21st, 2026 at 9:36 am
How has Kancey looking so far? Haven’t heard you mention him much if at all.
August 21st, 2026 at 10:01 am
Looks like the Chiefs are pretty beat up. We have to show out against them when our first team is in there:
The playing time at quarterback will be distributed among the backups:
No Mahomes.
Justin Fields is expected to start and play approximately the first 1.5 quarters.
Rookie Garrett Nussmeier will follow for roughly 1.5 quarters.
Fourth-string quarterback Chris Oladokun is slated to play the fourth quarter.
Several other key first-string players are also expected to sit out or see limited action:
Trey Smith (Guard) and Josh Simmons (Tackle) are listed as inactive due to injuries.
Jack Cochrane (Linebacker), Chamarri Conner (Safety), Ashton Gillotte (Defensive End), Jeff Caldwell (Wide Receiver), and Jimmy Holiday (Wide Receiver) are also ruled out.
While not explicitly ruled out, other primary starters like Kenneth Walker III and Travis Kelce were held out of the previous game and are unlikely to see significant snaps in this matchup.
August 21st, 2026 at 10:27 am
At least he’s not his side piece.
August 21st, 2026 at 10:46 am
Joe, these is crickets on Clemson defensive tackle DeMonte Capehart. Curious if he has made any plays in training camp.
August 21st, 2026 at 10:48 am
We are a stud linebacker and a pro bowl corner away from being elite again
August 21st, 2026 at 10:58 am
Nobody is talking about the offensive line. With Mauch at 100 per center it has to be rated among the top three in the league. Time of possession is still one of the leading indicators of how good a team is and we declined terribly last year.
August 21st, 2026 at 10:58 am
Haven’t heard or read anything on Kancey…(?).
August 21st, 2026 at 11:36 am
Wait a minute…Didn’t he say Diva was his best player? LOL
Problem with BSing people is that it eventually catches up to ypu Todd.
Go Bucs!
August 21st, 2026 at 11:46 am
Not to be confused with Bowles masterpiece(s):
2021 Divisional Round loss to The Rams. Not even Brady’s heroic efforts could bail out Bowles.
2025 Thursday Night Knockout…3 & 28…playoffs will have to wait game.
August 21st, 2026 at 12:01 pm
Winny
You forgot, taking the ball out of Brady’s hands in Cleveland. And refusing to call a timeout in a Detroit playoff game.
August 21st, 2026 at 12:35 pm
Centerpiece of a wide open soft as butter pee wee league caliber Swiss cheese defensive scheme.
Yep. That defense was fantastic during the 2-7 run in 2025.
We would have been lost without Todd Bowles. He’s a guru.
🤣🤣🤣🤡🤡🤡
August 21st, 2026 at 12:36 pm
Bowles could open the season with another 2-7 run Cosmo.
August 21st, 2026 at 1:00 pm
I don’t like the list… I think it’s HS with the actual order of players ranked. But, it’s really kind of shocking to me that Penei Sewell, Sauce Gardner, and Achane are still under 25. That’s CRAZY to me. Seems like, they’ve all been around FOREVER, by now!!!! WOW. Just Crazy,
August 21st, 2026 at 1:03 pm
Yeah, that list is HORRIBLE. NFL UNDER 25 Rankings, by coaches, scouts, and execs. HORRIBLE.
August 21st, 2026 at 1:04 pm
I guess he must sit at the center of the bench during the plethora of defensive snaps without Vea on the field.
August 21st, 2026 at 1:18 pm
Kancey needs to hydrate better and lay off the Gatorade.
Tom Brady never pulled a muscle or tore a muscle.
Why?
Hydration and stretching.
Kancey needs to call Alex Guerrero asap!
August 21st, 2026 at 1:19 pm
Cosmo, that’s just stupid. Silly trolling for the sake of trolling. You know that. If healthy, the front seven should be as good as it’s been since the halcyon days with Barrett, jpp and Suh. Even the period of time you’re pointing out, how many players will have changed since then? The linebackers will be different. As will the edge guys and our depth is better than it’s been for a long time. I understand drinking from the half empty glass. When you expect dissapointment and it happens, you’re theoretically less disappointed. I prefer realistic optimism. But whatever floats your boat.
August 21st, 2026 at 1:34 pm
So the team just added void years to Vitas deal, freeing up $17M in cap space THIS YEAR
August 21st, 2026 at 2:46 pm
@ Buddha Says:
“Nobody is talking about the offensive line … Mauch …”
I want to see the Bucs resign Mauch, McLaughlin, Diaby and Mayfield.
But, Mauch is first on my list. Mc Laughlin is probably second because of the “bang for the Buc(k)” with a kicker’s relative small cap percentage.
If both Diaby and Mayfield have very good seasons, it looks to be tough to re-sign them both after signing Mauch and McLaughlin.
If the Bucs have a really great year, the Bucs can defer enough money to keep both if they play the kinds of cap games that they played the year after the Super Bowl, but that comes with a price down the road that the Bucs are just getting over.
This year should show where that money is best spent.
August 21st, 2026 at 2:54 pm
Just another guy with a fake injury. No big deal.
August 21st, 2026 at 3:27 pm
The photo in the headline spoiled the good news
August 21st, 2026 at 3:32 pm
“Can’t forget Elijah Roberts and DeMonte Capehart, Joe. Those guys looked good against Jets’ depth players, and honestly I’m looking forward to seeing both those guys @KC.”
I haven’t noticed Capehart much yet but Elijah Roberts looks like he’s ready to make a big jump this year. Still amazed he added 30 lbs this off season….. That rarely (very rarely) happens “naturally”.
The return of a healthy Kancey should also bolster our D-line beside Vita. He’s got to be feeling like the forgotten man with Bain and all the other new pieces getting so much praise – he’s going to be hungry and looking to prove something.
August 21st, 2026 at 3:43 pm
Teacherman Says:
August 21st, 2026 at 1:18 pm
Kancey needs to hydrate better and lay off the Gatorade.
Tom Brady never pulled a muscle or tore a muscle.
Why?
Hydration and stretching.
Kancey needs to call Alex Guerrero asap!
——————-
BIG difference in Brady, who rarely moved more than a few steps and Kancey, who stresses his entire body mixing it up with 300lbers on every single down.
Do you really think the professional athletes and their professional trainers don’t emphasize hydration and flexibility? 🙄
August 21st, 2026 at 5:22 pm
Unfortunately our TE position group is one of the weakest in the league. Otton is Meh-Sharp is J.A.G. and the most dangerous down field threat Culp may not even make the team. Isaiah Likely certainly would have looked good in a Bucs uniform and would have freed up a pick to add depth at CB which is our other shakiest position group.
August 21st, 2026 at 5:24 pm
The trick is getting pressure on the ball while covering someone ( anyone)
August 21st, 2026 at 5:37 pm
@Simple T
Watch the Elijah’s Roberts sack at the 5:17 mark, we were in an odd front or our “base” defense, line shifted right before the snap which made Capehart go from shading the left shoulder of the guard to head up on the center(Marine if you’re reading this, that’s how easy it is to be a DT to shift into a NTs position, but you don’t care). Capehart jolted the C off the snap, put a swim move on him and got to the QB a blink of an eye after Roberts had paws on Zappe. Obviously just one rep, but a glimpse of what that kid can do to interior OL once he gets his feet wet and continues to refine his game.
I really like that pairing of Capehart & Roberts on the inside and am really looking forward to seeing how well they do collectively in these last 2 preseason games. If the starters aren’t enough, being able to rotate them in would help keep everybody fresh in the long run.
August 21st, 2026 at 5:40 pm
“Still amazed he added 30 lbs this off season….. That rarely (very rarely) happens “naturally”.”
You can see it on him, last year he was a bit more svelt, but he came back looking like Will Gholston, and he’d be a perfect person to start doing Wills’ sack/tfl celebration. Idk why I liked it so much, but I know when we got to see it Gholston just made a big boy play.
August 21st, 2026 at 6:08 pm
Never heard a Dlineman called S-v-e-l-t-e which means slender.
August 21st, 2026 at 6:17 pm
“Unfortunately our TE position group is one of the weakest in the league.“
Worst in the league based off what?
They all play 2nd/3rd fiddle to the RB & WR rooms.
It’s not like we’ve got a bunch of bad players rostered at the position, but what would be more accurate; is realizing how under-utilized the talent we’ve had on hand is-until somebody gets hurt.
Payne Durham, had more TDs at Purdue than he has receptions in the NFL.
7 in ‘23, 14 in ‘24, and 3 in ‘25 but where he has improved noticeably is as an in-line blocker, but as much talk as we hear about Hurst as an RZ threat. You’d think a guy playing TE and the same damn size as Anthony Nelson would have more than ONE redzone target in 3 years as a pro. You’d think, but we’d all be wrong.
I can’t get with us having the “worst” but I do know cycling GMs and having the talent we have at WR & RB collectively, kind of caps our TE production or the probability those guys are even called on to produce as a pass catchers.
August 21st, 2026 at 6:20 pm
“7 in ‘23, 14 in ‘24, and 3 in ‘25“
These are Paynes’ targets over the years, not catches
August 21st, 2026 at 7:12 pm
I’ll be a happy camper if we can be top 5 against the run and top 5 in sacks 😎
Add in top 10 in takeaways 👍🏼 Limit explosives, get better (much) in the red zone.
I could give a rats a$$ if we’re not top 10 in passing yards allowed, which contrary to certain authors and commenters opinions, is not a statistic that correlates to W/L.
August 21st, 2026 at 7:38 pm
We’ll see if the YOUNGRY players save Todd from early retirement.
August 21st, 2026 at 8:20 pm
Agreed with Joe…. and then some.
Houston, we Have lift off with the Most Impressive D line we’ve seen in YEARS, “on paper”. “Chiseled in Stone” coming to a football field near You! Hopefully. Heck, Likely.
Though I have a STRONG feeling it might could Easily reach it’s highest heights with a D line “purest” designing the plays and calling the shots..
“It’s Better than Good” now and next year it could be absolutely DOMINANT!
August 21st, 2026 at 8:58 pm
@ Biggest Butthead
There’s no accounting for taste really….
Oh buddy you can do SO MUCH better. How about at least supporting the team members and NOT who’s holding them back from greatness and infuriating them SO MUCH that they’re “RUNNING” into the arms of other teams…. And taking MASSIVE financial hits to do it!
That would be a far better look for you than being blindly running at the pitchforks deservingly coming your way.. Ooffffff!
August 21st, 2026 at 10:51 pm
Oblivious one is mixing his meds again, In a constant state of confusion. Got me rolling here. Nobody even you knows what the hill you talking about. “A” for effort though, you do you. Your doing greeeeeaaaat! Unite Krew! We need to band together, all hands on deck! Go Bucs
August 22nd, 2026 at 3:51 am
Vea back is huge. Robinson and Roberts are really good players.
To keep Kancey Healthy, he will need to grow from 5’10”to 6’5”, and from 280 lbs to 300 lbs.
August 22nd, 2026 at 5:33 am
Never said “Worst” TE group. I said one of the weakest and they are according to ESPN position group rankings-they are 27.
August 22nd, 2026 at 7:08 am
Whatever you want to call it. We don’t rely on our TEs as consistent contributors in the pass game. We’ve barely tapped the talent in that room partly because we’ve got new a new guy re-evaluating them every and concentrate that focus to the other skill positions. ESPN doesn’t factor stuff like that into those rankings, but they sure do bank on name recognition.
August 22nd, 2026 at 12:49 pm
Reality is what it is , but the good news is gasoline and beef are cheap…..
August 22nd, 2026 at 2:40 pm
@ BiggestBucfan
Well, I’m glad to see you’re getting the point… Well Done
August 22nd, 2026 at 3:58 pm
VV in a terrific player and it’s good he’s back. But does everyone remember that we had him last year and we won 8 games? Had him in ‘24 and won 10 games, had him in 23 and won 9 games and 8 the year prior.
The falcons saints and panthers are all also below average teams and we will at best be 4-2 against them and likely 3-3.
There’s a reason for this. And we all know what his name is.