Buccaneers receive massive boost during second week of OTAs
The Tampa Bay Buccaneers are bringing back a lot of familiar defensive pieces this year, but the defensive line currently contains plenty of newcomers and questions. Can Logan Hall turn into the guy the Bucs envisioned when they took him with their first pick in the 2022 NFL Draft? Can Calijah Kancey make an immediate […]
The Tampa Bay Buccaneers are bringing back a lot of familiar defensive pieces this year, but the defensive line currently contains plenty of newcomers and questions.
Can Logan Hall turn into the guy the Bucs envisioned when they took him with their first pick in the 2022 NFL Draft? Can Calijah Kancey make an immediate impact as a rookie? Will Greg Gaines' veteran experience help settle things down?
The Buccaneers are also mixing up their philosophy in terms of their plan of attack and the players they'll use to execute said plan.
"We're trying to play on the other side of the ball more," head coach Todd Bowles told reporters Tuesday. "In the past, we've been bigger and heavier and stouter. Now, we have some stoutness and we have some explosion up there."
In other words: There's a lot to figure out when it comes to the Bucs' defensive line.
Fortunately, the Buccaneers received a massive boost on Tuesday when Pro Bowl nose tackle Vita Vea showed up to OTAs.
"It's big. They have to develop some camaraderie, obviously," Bowles said when asked about Vea's return. "You got speed and power and you got a power guy. So it'll be different for them learning each other, but to have him out here and those guys learning from him is great."
Vea is the best player on the defensive line and he just so happened to lead the Bucs with 6.5 sacks last season. He's always been more of a lead-by-example type of player, so it's obviously huge (no pun intended) to see him out at OTAs doing just that.
The Bucs' defensive line is key in determining 2023's defensive success. So, having everyone together at this point in the season should only help increase the line's chances of living up to expectations.
It certainly can't hurt.
Featured image via Douglas DeFelice-USA TODAY Sports
