Report: Vita Vea Knee Injury Not Torn ACL; Not Considered Serious

Tampa Bay Buccaneers rookie defensive tackle Vita Vea did not tear his ACL on Sunday against the Cincinnati Bengals, ESPN's Adam Schefter reported. Schefter also noted Vea escaped serious injury. 

The 23-year-old was the No. 12 overall pick by the Bucs in the 2018 draft and was expected to pair with star Gerald McCoy to give the team a dangerous combination at defensive tackle. And with Jason Pierre-Paul and Vinny Curry on the outside, Tampa Bay built a solid defensive line this offseason.

Before the draft, Lance Zierlein of NFL.com compared Vea to Haloti Ngata in his scouting report:

"Vea's tape can frustrating because he flashes star potential one series and then looks average the next. With that said, he's still very raw and should be judged by his ability rather than just his results as he should unlock his potential with more coaching. Vea has the size and power to play nose in an odd or even front and he could be targeted by 3-4 teams looking for dominant run defender on the end. He should work into a defensive line rotation immediately and has the ability to become a good NFL starter for years."

That potential to grow into stardom, combined with his raw ability, made him the pick for a Buccaneers team clearly focused on emphasizing the defensive line this spring. 

The rookie's tenure got off to a rocky start, however, as he limped out of practice early in training camp with a calf strain and didn't return until Week 4.

This year, he's registered two tackles and zero sacks.

While Vea is out of action, McCoy, Beau Allen and Rakeem Nunez-Roches will headline the defensive tackle rotation.