Tampa Bay Buccaneers fear DT Vita Vea has season-ending broken ankle, source says

The Tampa Bay Buccaneers fear that defensive tackle Vita Vea suffered a season-ending broken ankle during Thursday night's 20-19 loss to the Chicago Bears, a source told ESPN's Adam Schefter.

Vea is scheduled to undergo an MRI on Friday.

He suffered the injury with 1:39 remaining when teammate Devin White rolled up on his right leg as the two were making a tackle of Bears running back  David Montgomery. Vea was then carted off the field.

Vea, a first-round pick by the Buccaneers in 2018, has two sacks in five games this season and is a key reason why the Bucs have been so successful in stopping the run the past two years.

At 6-foot-4, 347 pounds, Vea has frequently taken on double-teams, along with Ndamukong Suh, allowing Jason Pierre-Paul, Shaq Barrett and Will Gholston to get to the quarterback, and he plays a key role in Todd Bowles' A-gap blitzes.

Vea's first two NFL seasons were marred by injuries. His missed all of the 2019 preseason with a sprained lateral collateral ligament in his left knee. Vea also missed all of training camp and the first three games of the 2018 season with a calf injury.

But even though he started training camp with a hand injury that forced him to undergo a procedure before camp and wear a club on his hand, many within the Bucs organization felt Vea was having a breakout season.

His 14.7% pass rush win rate and his 13.3% pass rush win rate against double-teams were both second in the league among nose tackles, behind only Tyson Alualu of the Pittsburgh Steelers. Vea's 2.0 sacks created were also most among nose tackles, as were his whopping 17 pass rush first pressures through five games.

Vea's loss will likely mean more snaps for Rakeem Nunez-Roches, who doesn't have Vea's measurables -- very few have that size or quickness getting into the backfield -- but Nunez-Roches has been praised by the coaching staff for his relentless motor.

Still, coach Bruce Arians said Thursday night, "It's a big loss. You don't have another Vita, that's for sure. But other guys will step in and step up and play good."

The Bucs must now regroup for arguably one of their toughest tests of the season in Week 6, when Aaron Rodgers and the 4-0 Green Bay Packers come to Tampa. The Packers' 38 points per game are the most of any team through the first four weeks of the season.