Todd Bowles “Not Comfortable” Without Vita Vea
August 18th, 2026
Making Todd Bowles nervous?
It sounds like KitKat-eating Bucs coach Todd Bowles is mentally bracing himself in case Vita Vea gets shipped out of town in the coming weeks.
As we all know, Vita Vea is in a contract hassle and is playing Operation Shutdown has a bad back. Vea has not practiced once this summer.
Today, when Bowles had his standard post-practice press conference, he was asked if he is “comfortable” playing without Vea.
The answer is no.
“I’m never comfortable playing without him,” Bowles said.
But, Bowles added, if he doesn’t have Vea or if Vea sits out the season, he has confidence he can go to battle with what he has and win.
“We’ve had injuries before, and I’ve played without him before,” Bowles said. “We’ve got guys up there that have played a bunch of games in this league.
“They might not have the same impact, but they have their own impact in a way. I’d be comfortable playing with them.”
The key here is 2020, when Vea spent the most time of his career shelved by an injury in a season. Vea was replaced by “Nacho,” Rakeem Nuñez-Roches. Vea broke his ankle and Nacho started 11 regular-season games and two playoff games for Vea.
The Bucs’ bruising nose guard returned for the NFC Championship Game and with him in the lineup, Bucs sacks king Shaq Barrett went wild and the defense shut down drama queen Aaron Rodgers in the NFC Championship game.
Now is Nacho the same player as he was then? Joe sort of doubts it.
So, yeah, Joe can understand why Bowles is unnerved by the possibility of losing Vea.
August 18th, 2026 at 8:27 pm
Let’s hope he stays and plays but they didn’t sign Nacho, he was already in the roster, they signed (traded for) McLendon from the Jets
August 18th, 2026 at 8:34 pm
The problem with missing someone like Vita is that it will lead to over scheming. That is not something Todd has excelled at in recent years, due to injuries. I’d rather him plug in a player (Ashawn?) and say do exactly what Vita was responsible for, even with a little drop off of capabilities. it would be better than mixing up some complex blitz package where DL are not rushing the passer.
August 18th, 2026 at 8:44 pm
To bad we can’t keep Vea and ship IBS out of STATE!
August 18th, 2026 at 8:48 pm
If suddenly teams can run right at and through the middle of the Bucs defensive line, then we lose the huge advantage our offensive line gives us in the run game. Teams can turn right around and burn the clock against us just like we would do to them. Let’s hope we get this Vea situation straightened out and soon.
August 18th, 2026 at 8:53 pm
Interesting stats;
Before I asked my google interweb machine I was under the impression that Vea was a highly effective but limited use player due to conditioning issues/size and his departure might be justified somewhat along those lines (also of course depending on trade compensation). Not so.
The average starting Dt in the NFL played 55 – 65 snap percentage in 2025.
Vea’s was 73 percent!
I mean that is shocking to me. It really changes my perception of both his demands and leverage.
August 18th, 2026 at 8:54 pm
The Bucs defense will not be the same with Vita Vea. If YaYa and Baine can both be dynamic off the edges than the Bucs should be vastly better than the 2025 defense. Joel Glazer may be concerned a long term contract with a 31 year old Vita Vea is not in the Bucs best interest with upcoming contracts for Winfield and other key players coming up next year thanks to the NFL parity policy.
August 18th, 2026 at 8:55 pm
Bowles know this is his last chance. He needs everyone to save his A$$. Future draft picks don’t matter if your not the coach to participate in the next draft.
August 18th, 2026 at 9:01 pm
I think the Bucs need Vea more than ever this year. In my opinion the Bucs secondary is in big trouble. I think the Bucs need all the help up front they can get to help what appears to be one of the worst secondary’s in the league. I think Vea has earned a raise and I don’t see any harm in extending him another year.
He has been in many respects great for the franchise. I hope something positive came from the Glazers today. Per your post you said he was in great spirits after.
If they are trading him then I hope at least the aquire a legitimate cb who can cover. That would soften the blow of losing Vea
August 18th, 2026 at 9:05 pm
Let’s spend the Glazer‘s money give him guaranteed money for this year sign him to a two year extension and get this over with
August 18th, 2026 at 9:19 pm
Joe … ‘The key here is when Vea spent the most time of his career shelved by an injury, the Bucs signed a guy who took over for Vea when he broke an ankle. That was “Nacho,” Rakeem Nuñez-Roches. It was in 2020, the Bucs’ last Super Bowl season, when Vea broke his ankle.’
Nacho actually signed with Tampa in 2018 Joe, according to Pro-Football-Reference. He did get a large increase in def snaps when Vea went down in 2020, but I think the guy we signed to fill in was Steve McLendon. He played his first 6 games in 2020 with the Jets, then we got him for Games 7-16 plus the playoffs. He, like RNR, did a heck of a job in shoring up our DLine that year.
Like Bowles though, I don’t feel really comfortable not having Vea on our DLine once the regular season starts. We need the big guy to eat up those double teams and protect his gap. RNR’s getting up there in age, Robinson’s not a true NT, and Capehart is still too green.
August 18th, 2026 at 9:31 pm
B … ‘The average starting Dt in the NFL played 55 – 65 snap percentage in 2025. Vea’s was 73 percent!’
Vea has 4686 def snaps in his 8 years as a Buc. That’s an average of 585 def snaps per season. That’s on the low end for the average starting DTs, and nowhere close to what the top performing DTs average (Jalen Carter for instance has average 677 def snaps in his 3 years with the Eagles). And some of the others are well above that.
During those 8 years the Bucs’ defense has been on the field for 8,407 def snaps, meaning that Vea has averaged 55.7% availability. Again B, that’s on the low end for the average DT, and significantly below what the high performers average. Yes Vea had a very good availability in 2025, but that was his best year out of 8.
August 18th, 2026 at 10:04 pm
We’re historically 8-9 without Vita, but more importantly our pass rush win rate w/Vita on the field 45.8%. In the games w/o Vita our pass rush win rate is 39%.
Dollars and cents aside, we’re better with than without. I don’t care about how much Vea plays compared to anybody else, because we’re not losing him and getting that player:
Let Lavonte Tell it from about 2 years ago:
“More so attack now, like being real gap and technically sound in the run game because, you know, some people are not going to hang on to blocks as much as [Vea would],” David said. “Like it’s more of an attack thing for me when other guys are in, but with Vita, I know where he’s going to be so I can be a little patient and be able play off him.
“That’s definitely one of the things that [Vea] presents to our defense.”
-JoeBucsFan
October 8th, 2024
Without Vea, our teams not having to account for doubling Vea means it’ll be easier for duo scheme guards and any combo block to chip and get to Anzalone & Trotter on the 2nd level. Which in turn sullies our ILBs jobs of being able to fit their gaps in run support and cut into our effectivity defending lateral run schemes teams run against us because trying to go downhill on us with Vea is stupid.
On top of the 45.8% with Vea drop to 39% win rate on pass downs without him. A drop in our sack percentage from 7.1% to 5.6% with & without Vita. We’ve also experienced 31.9% pressure rate with Vita and in games w/o him it drops to 29.9%. Seems like small drops, but these are total snap over his career and it notes a clear difference on top of how David explained it almost 2 years ago. Obviously Vita has aged, but that ability our old Captain explained is still in pay, I mean play.
August 18th, 2026 at 10:45 pm
Stoping the run is about gap assignments, discipline and will power. Plenty of teams stop the run consistently without someone of his caliber in the middle. The issue is going to be his presence collapsing the pocket on the bull rush.
August 18th, 2026 at 10:48 pm
VV played all 17 games on a horrible defense last year. He will not be missed.
August 18th, 2026 at 11:48 pm
Rakeem Nuñez-Roches was resigned on a one year deal this year I think.
August 18th, 2026 at 11:54 pm
Pelsbuc61 Says:
“VV played all 17 games on a horrible defense last year. He will not be missed.”
NFL.com says he played all 17 games but if you look at the game logs, he was out for games 5, 11, and 12.
August 19th, 2026 at 12:10 am
We need to go ahead and pay the man he has proven loyalty
And dedication which is a very valuable asset….. Off subject but QB#10 Daniels looking pretty good….
August 19th, 2026 at 12:39 am
Now Boweles can’t live without him. You should of pay him then
August 19th, 2026 at 2:43 am
Joe said “Now is Nacho the same player as he was then? Joe sort of doubts it.”
Is Vita the same player he was in 2020? I sort of doubt it.
To those comparing Vita to the average DT, it’s apples and watermelons. The average DT is not the same as a NT.
Also, nearly a third of the teams use a 4-3 as their base set where there is no nose tackle at all. The Bucs, for one, occasionally line up in 4-3, which could account for many of the times Vea is not on the field.
Finally, the Bucs, all-time, are 59-53 (.527) when Vita is playing. They are 12-9 (.571) when he doesn’t play. During the 2020 Superbowl season, the Bucs were 8-3 during the regular season and 2-0 during the postseason without him.
August 19th, 2026 at 3:02 am
Football 1, DR and a few others …
Are seeing it Clearly. I was beginning to think that ALL “common sense” had simply left the building though the window!
If we loose Vea, You can ALL say bye bye to having a shot at an 8 win season much the less anything more. That man is CRITICAL to our defensive success! There is simply NO DOUBT ABOUT IT!
licht NEEDS TO swallow his pride and DO WHATS BEST FOR THE TEAM FOR A CHANGE! And I’m not even sort of interested in hearing a out “tomorrow fears of cap problems”! You know what? WHO CARES??? I’m SURE the management will be able to figure it out JUST LIKE IT ALWAYS HAS! We’re not talking a out QB money here for 50/60 million dollars. OK!
This is a jack ass power play by the now teetering lame duck GM… “THEY” meaning the Bozo situation in the coaching staff that the team (players) has given the finger to for “SOMETHING BOWLES DID THAT WAS SO HEINOUS THAT THE TEAM NOT ONLY DO NOT TRUST HIM, THEY HATE HIM! And THAT’S number one…
And now on top of ALL THAT, licht wants to play tough guy INSTEAD OF trying to cool things off between player, coaching and management. This is soft in the head thinking! Poor management skills are RUINING the day! Most Importantly, these baffoons are ruining our foreseeable Sundays for possibly YEARS to come!
Do the “SMART THING” licht and throw a bone out there before YOU DO GET CANNED ALONG WITH BOZO!
The way this is unfolding, there is NO WAY we reach 7/8 wins this year! Just pathetic and sad…