Todd Bowles’ Plans For Vita Vea
August 21st, 2026
Plan to get Vita Vea in football shape.
So Bucs Pro Bowl defensive tackle Vita Vea found a healer, Bucs coach Todd Bowles said, and his back seemed to be cured overnight.
That healer, Joe suspects, moonlights as an accountant for Team Glazer. And he/she learned long ago the more zeros you put on a check, the more potent the potion is.
And just like that Vea is a new man. And a richer man.
“He should be good to go,” Bowles said yesterday of Vea’s sudden bout of pain-free health.
So how will Bowles bring back Vea? Slowly.
Vea won’t play tomorrow night when the Bucs host the Chiefs in the second worthless preseason game. Next week, Bowles said, he will start weening Vea back to football shape.
“We’re going to start working him in next week, slowly preparing him for Cincinnati,” Bowles said of the Bucs’ Week 1 opponent. “There’s no way he plays against Jacksonville or anything like that.
“We’re going to acclimate him and kind of work him in, [to] try and to get him ready for opening day.”
On Tuesday and Wednesday, the Bucs have joint practices at Jacksonville. How much Vea will participate against the Jaguars offense remains to be seen. If at all.
Bowles is being smart about this. Vea doesn’t need to be ready to play Jacksonville. And Joe would suggest Vea doesn’t need any preseason games. He’s a veteran. He knows how to get ready for the grueling marathon that is an NFL regular season.
August 21st, 2026 at 4:57 am
Good plan. Obvious but good.
August 21st, 2026 at 5:00 am
Very hard to get into game day shape by just practicing. Up until the past year or so he’s only been playing 60% of the snaps. Is that what the Bucs are expecting early in the season?
August 21st, 2026 at 5:04 am
If Vita duplicates last season, $31,454.00 per snap and $1,333,333.00 per solo tackle and $5,333,333.00 per sack.
August 21st, 2026 at 6:02 am
…and you give the guy who feigned an injury a guaranteed contract. smdh
August 21st, 2026 at 6:10 am
Bowles lobbies for ‘his’ guys.
Imagine just how good Vea could have been if he took off season conditioning seriously.
August 21st, 2026 at 6:20 am
VV trains off season with Ndamakong Suh and has for years. The intensity of Suhs’ workout regimen is the stuff of legend and that is why Suh looks like he could pad up and hit the field even today. VV works his tail off in the off season and will be ready for Bengals.
August 21st, 2026 at 6:31 am
LessismoreON
August 21st, 2026 at 6:35 am
In the eyes of the universe Via isn’t a penny richer than he was last week. In fact he may be a few pennies poorer. How much can a fat boy eat? Apparently he is a cannibal. He eats his teammates.
August 21st, 2026 at 6:36 am
I bet you anything vital vea is injured by week 2 and misses significant time. Way to reward a guy not getting prepared, then our new investment won’t play most of the game week one. The bucs will get shredded for 50 points week one.
They will push him to play more in week two and he will get hurt.
Great investment
August 21st, 2026 at 6:53 am
A Green Diet ($$$) heals everything.
August 21st, 2026 at 7:01 am
Well! As usual we get a mixed bag of sentiments and assessments. Don’t know how ready Vea will be for the first game. Don’t know how he will endure during the season. I am just happy that he will be playing for us this year.
Go Bucs!!
August 21st, 2026 at 7:01 am
Is he still a Captain?
August 21st, 2026 at 7:44 am
Just gotta coach it better, play it better, scheme it better.
Week one post loss press conference.
Bowles is a guru.