The Tampa Bay Buccaneers season is over after their wild card loss to the Washington Commanders. And while we can look back on the year as a disappointment overall, there were good things about it as well. Both offensively and defensively there are reasons to be excited for the future.
Today I take a moment to look at the defensive side of the ball. We got to see the emergence of Calijah Kancey, rookie Tykee Smith step into the starting nickel role and not miss a beat, the development of Zyon McCollum, the ageless wonder that is Lavonte David and a glimpse of the future at linebacker in SirVocea Dennis. There were a lot of players who the Bucs can build around.
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However, one player stood out above the rest this year. His consistency and excellence stand out amongst his peers, both on the team and across the league at his position. He is the clear Buccaneers defensive player of the year.
Nose tackle Vita Vea had an outstanding year for the Bucs. Starting in training camp when he came in lighter and more in shape than he had in years past. This carried all through the regular season and resulted in his second trip to the NFL Pro Bowl.
From a consistency standpoint, Vea once again thrived in what he does best. That is being an elite run defender in the middle of the defensive line. His raw power and his fluid mobility allow him to roam the interior of the line and dominate the point of attack.
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The Buccaneers ranked 4th in rushing yards allowed this season and 9th in rushing yards allowed per carry. This is with a pair of undersized defensive linemen next to Vea in Logan Hall and Calijah Kancey and a revolving door at linebacker next to the 34 year old Lavonte David. A lot of pressure was put on Vea to anchor the run defense and he rose to the challenge.
We even got to see the big nose tackle take a step forward in another area of his game. This would of course be making plays in the backfield. He was one of the Bucs leading sack artists in 2024 and this was a nice development in his game.
Entering the season, Vea had a career high of 6.5 in sacks and a career high of 8 tackles for loss. He reset both those numbers this season. Vea finished the 2024 season with 7.0 sacks and 10 tackles for loss. So not only was he controlling the line of scrimmage, but he was reestablishing it.
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This all led to the 29 year old nose tackle to be named to the Pro Bowl in recognition of his greatness. More often than not, nose tackles aren’t recognized in this way because they don’t have the flashy pass rush numbers. However, Vea has proven that he is both a dominating run defender as well as a disruptive pass rusher.
Moving forward, the Bucs can and will look to build around Vea. The way he commands multiple blockers opens everything else up for his teammates. This makes everyone, from a veteran like Lavonte David to a rookie like Chris Braswell, a much better player.
Vea is the foundation of the Buccaneers defense. He is a leader and he is a playmaker. He is without a doubt the Bucs defensive player of the year for the 2024 season.
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