National Football League

Buccaneers D-line coach: We want Vita Vea to become 'dominant'

Published May. 1, 2024 12:59 p.m. ET

Tampa Bay Buccaneers defensive lineman Vita Vea has been among the better nose tackles in the NFL across his six seasons in the sport. Now, Vea is being challenged to become a world-class force.

Buccaneers defensive line coach Kacy Rodgers detailed where he wants to see Vea improve next season, while also implying that the defensive tackle has shed some weight this offseason.

"When you're looking at plays he was leaving out there, Vita's a really strong man. When he uses his hands properly and proper technique, he's going to be hard to stop," Rodgers told PewterReport about Vea on Tuesday. "That's the thing. He plays hard. He does everything we ask of him. [It's] just when you go back, and you look at some plays, 'you know you should've made that play. You know that guy should not be blocking you.'

"That's kind of what we need [for] him to take the next step because he does everything else we ask. Now, it's just kind of being the dominant guy, not the good guy."

Last season, Vea totaled 5.5 sacks, 43 combined tackles and two forced fumbles. He was part of a Tampa Bay defense that surrendered 248.9 passing yards (29th in the NFL), 95.3 rushing yards (fifth), 313.0 total yards (23rd) and 19.1 points (tied for sixth) per game in the 2023 regular season.

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Vea was a Pro Bowler in 2021. The Buccaneers selected him with the No. 12 pick in the 2018 NFL Draft out of Washington.

Rodgers has been on Tampa Bay's coaching staff since 2019, also serving as its run game coordinator and co-defensive coordinator. He was also current Buccaneers head coach Todd Bowles' defensive coordinator when Bowles was the head coach of the New York Jets from 2015-18. The two also coached together with the Dallas Cowboys and Miami Dolphins from 2005-11.

The Buccaneers are coming off their third consecutive NFC South division title and trounced the Philadelphia Eagles in the NFC wild-card round, 32-9, before losing to the Detroit Lions in the divisional round.

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