Bucs Have 11 Defensive Linemen On The Roster
July 27th, 2026
Manbeast Bucs defensive tackle Vita Vea wants out of Tampa. Joe wrote about it earlier, based on today’s report from ESPN’s Adam Schefter.
What a sad state of affairs. A lot of fans consider Vea worthy of the Buccaneers Ring of Honor.
Vea, 31, is a hell of a player in a contract year. He wanted a contract extension this spring/summer and didn’t get one to his liking.
Is Vea’s attitude why the Bucs drafted beastly DL Demonte Capehart in Round 5? He’s 6-5, 315 pounds out of Clemson and is known for being a run stuffer.
Is Vea’s attitude why the Bucs signed veteran Rakeem “Nacho” Nuñez-Roches before the draft when they seemed loaded at the position?
A’Shawn Robinson and Calijah Kancey are talented starters on the defensive line. Elijah Simmons (335 pounds) sure showed flashes last year.
Still, none of those guys are Vea. Heck, Vea is sort of a unicorn in the NFL.
Including Vea, per the Buccaneers.com list below, the Bucs have 11 defensive linemen on the roster.
And maybe, just maybe, the Bucs have their eye on playing rookie first-round pick Rueben Bain, the Miami Mauler edge rusher, more as an inside pass rusher than they have let on.
DEFENSIVE LINEMEN (11):
No. 90 DL DeMonte Capehart *
No. 96 DL Josiah Green *
No. 93 DL Jayson Jones
No. 94 DL Calijah Kancey
No. 73 DL Deshawn McKnight *
No. 60 DL Haggai Ndubuisi
No. 56 DL Rakeem Nuñez-Roches
No. 95 DL Elijah Roberts
No. 91 DL A’Shawn Robinson
No. 92 DL Elijah Simmons
No. 50 NT Vita Vea
July 27th, 2026 at 7:17 pm
Moving Bain inside would be moronic. Right up Todd’s alley.
July 27th, 2026 at 7:18 pm
Trade him for a good veteran corner.
July 27th, 2026 at 7:20 pm
Ugh
July 27th, 2026 at 7:21 pm
Better hope Kancey stays healthy
July 27th, 2026 at 7:28 pm
If he wants to go trade him… find a team who may not mind parting with a vet corner for an all world nose tackle my only hesitation would be age but if I was a GM I may pull the trigger and we need corner depth and we have 11 linemen its unfortunate but could be a blessing in disguise
July 27th, 2026 at 7:28 pm
Vea isn’t the difference between winning a Super Bowl and not winning a Super Bowl. I’m not sure he’s would even be the difference between winning the division or not. You don’t over pay aging players unless the Super Bowl window is open.
July 27th, 2026 at 7:29 pm
Like they used to say on the Ron and Ron show……. SEE YA!
July 27th, 2026 at 7:30 pm
Still not very good news losing a Veteran of his caliber.
July 27th, 2026 at 7:30 pm
Sooooo, he wants out of TB to go to another team who won’t sign him to a contract extension before start of season.??????
July 27th, 2026 at 7:30 pm
No doubt Vea is one of a kind. However D tackles on the other side of 30 are tough. Thinking they may trade him. I would hate to see him go. However, like ME his time is coming. I think he deserves an extension, but doubt that happens happens until Baker is solved. The Bucs definitely need him this year. I have little faith in Kancy staying healthy for a whole season. He may be too small inside and his snaps may need to be limited. Vea is a difference maker and the Bucs really have no one to replace him. Robinson may be ok but he is not Vea. The defense has a huge number of ifs already. If they don’t have Vea it could be a long year for this defense.
July 27th, 2026 at 7:30 pm
That would be Ron Diaz and Ron Bennington.
July 27th, 2026 at 7:34 pm
Calijah Kancey? lol
I said it the week we drafted him.
He is too short. Too light. Too small. He will never amount to anything on this team.
And no. Tampa doesn’t have 11 defensive linemen.
It has Vea. Then Simmons, Robinson, and Banes.
Then a bunch of Scrubs.
Or Meybe you didn’t watch these guys last year.
July 27th, 2026 at 7:38 pm
I believe Mayfield has told the team he’s leaving.
So every decent player over 25 will want outta Here.
Mayfield is a franchise QB. They don’t grow on trees.
If A team doesn’t have a franchise QB, they aren’t going to win.
Why waste years of your career on a dead team.
July 27th, 2026 at 7:39 pm
TRADE HIM! Bucs need to use the younger guys and since we only gonna have 8 wins or less we could use the draft pick.
July 27th, 2026 at 7:48 pm
If we move Bain to the interior – will he still be able to drop back into coverage for Todd?
July 27th, 2026 at 7:49 pm
Licht will trade him for draft choices so he can draft another Braswell. These are times when a GREAT GM comes out on top. Is Licht GREAT?
He has some “prove it too me” deals to do before he goes into that Ring of Honor Joe always anoints him with.
July 27th, 2026 at 7:50 pm
The Bucs are prepping for a new HC.
They want picks
They want cap
They want flexibility
VV is old. They don’t want to commit money to a fading vet.
Like Evans, he’s better on a win now team. Send him to Buffalo.
July 27th, 2026 at 7:56 pm
Send him to the Browns.
July 27th, 2026 at 8:10 pm
Vea was not showing signs of old age and there was only one D lineman who couldn’t stay on the field. They’ve had him at a bargain, it’s always the franchise that gives the player the boot nobody cares but when it’s the player looking out for himself fans lose their minds. There is no one on the roster on his level even with him over 30. Trade him or give him more money you owe him
July 27th, 2026 at 8:11 pm
It sure sounds like Vea is getting paid way less to his skill set. Any guy his size that can play dline and lock down cornerback should be paid. He knows all of Bowels coverages, he can stop the run and lockdown receivers….. pay the man!!
So much for having a good veteran presence. This just didn’t happen overnight. They knew where he sat all offseason, same as Baker. Sign him and if the team sucks trade him at the deadline or keep him and decide what to do in the offseason. 1000% Bucs knew about this since the end of the year. Wish the Joes would say why Evans left because it makes me wonder if all the veterans feel the same way
July 27th, 2026 at 8:14 pm
“And maybe, just maybe, the Bucs have their eye on playing rookie first-round pick Rueben Bain, the Miami Mauler edge rusher, more as an inside pass rusher than they have let on.”
We literally drafted Capehart, carried over Jayson Jones & spent $10M on A’Shawn Robinson. We’ll see Bain in those alignments where there’s 3 OLBs and an NT on the LOS, but he’s not suited to play inside down after down. That’d be as useful as putting a hood scoop or pipes on a Tesla.
All these guys aren’t making the final cut, but we’ll have to wait and see what the front office does in response to this news. I’m not in the fire Licht camp, partly because I think he’s done a decent job juggling all the BS that comes with the job. That said, if we lose Vea I’ll turn on Licht and start calling for his head. Maybe not as frequently as some of you, but how he handles this says a lot about what about what they think this team can be. Under no circumstances will we be better without Vita Vea.
July 27th, 2026 at 8:15 pm
May just be the best thing to do is trade him. Get a young cb and a pick. Let the next coach have more arrows in their quiver.
July 27th, 2026 at 8:33 pm
Trading him for a veteran corner is the move they should make.
He obviously wasn’t part of the plan moving forward and you addressed DT in the offseason. If they don’t get capital back for him fire Jason Licht.
July 27th, 2026 at 8:37 pm
Vita needs to be re signed ASAP
this franchise is a joke
GO BUCS
July 27th, 2026 at 8:39 pm
if we lose Vea I’ll turn on Licht and start calling for his head. Maybe not as frequently as some of you, but how he handles this says a lot about what about what they think this team can be. Under no circumstances will we be better without Vita Vea.
BINGO
100% @WB
GO BUCS
July 27th, 2026 at 8:55 pm
If they’re serious about being competitive and winning, they can’t let him go. Imo it will hurt more to lose Vea than it did Evans. That defensive front needs him. I think people underestimate the importance of getting Kancey back. They’ve also added some quality depth with Robinson and Roches. When considering the edition of Bain on the edge with Diaby arriving at his prime , this could be a formidable front. That should make the cornerbacks less vulnerable since they are so inexperienced.If they lose Vita it will be one step forward, one step back. If Baker wants to win soon, he needs to consider leaving at least something on the table to make it possible to keep Vita. Having too many good DL is never a problem as opposed to having too many good receivers since there is only one ball.
July 27th, 2026 at 8:55 pm
Trade him for 2 1st rounders, trade Baker, and rebuild with a new staff.
July 27th, 2026 at 9:06 pm
They offered the kind of money to Evans that Vita wants. Use it now for Vita!
July 27th, 2026 at 9:09 pm
When a player who has been a model citizen requests a trade, it says a lot about the GM and the HC.
I cannot imagine the Glazers think this is going well.
Honor the man’s wishes and trade him. But if idiot Licht accepts anything less than a 3rd round pick (JPP value), then we will have further proof that he is not suited for his job.
July 27th, 2026 at 9:22 pm
Honor the man’s contribution in the past and show his m he’s valued. It’s not to late to change course.
July 27th, 2026 at 9:25 pm
And we got Zyon and Todd
July 27th, 2026 at 9:26 pm
So much for that top 15 defense lol
July 27th, 2026 at 9:52 pm
That fat kid from UF is looking better and better.
July 27th, 2026 at 11:06 pm
Underrated sarcasm Badbucs.
July 27th, 2026 at 11:33 pm
Man this is starting to smell rotten. First ME, then LD, now Vita. Like others have said how they handle this tells you exactly how they think this season is going to go. I am good with trading him for draft picks and/or a player if they think this season is going to be bad.