Buccaneers' Vita Vea May Miss Part of Training Camp After Surgery on Hand Injury

Tampa Bay Buccaneers defensive tackle Vita Vea reportedly may miss the start of training camp because he recently underwent surgery after suffering an "unspecified hand injury."

Rick Stroud of the Tampa Bay Times reported the news Saturday and noted Vea should be back to full strength in time for Week 1 of the 2020 NFL season.

The 25-year-old University of Washington product was the 12th overall pick in the 2018 draft. He's recorded 63 total tackles, 5.5 sacks and three passes defended in 29 appearances across his first two seasons with the Bucs.

He received a strong 78.7 overall grade from Pro Football Focus for the 2019 campaign.

In November, the 6'4'', 347-pound defensive lineman had the unique distinction of becoming the heaviest player in NFL history to score a touchdown:

"Still feels kind of surreal to me," Vea told reporters at the time. "It's just like I'm still kind of taking the moment in. I'm excited to look at my phone and see what my family and loved ones have to say. Just pretty excited."

Tampa will likely use a committee approach to fill the void for the duration of Vea's absence.

Pat O'Connor, Rakeem Nunez-Roches and rookies Nasir Player and Khalil Davis should all see more snaps alongside Ndamukong Suh and William Gholston with the first-team defense.

The Bucs are scheduled to open the regular season Sept. 13 against the New Orleans Saints, and Vea's presence will be important against their NFC South rival's high-powered offense.