Bucs want Vita Vea to go from being good to being "the dominant guy"

There's less of defensive tackle Vita Vea this year and the Buccaneers are hoping it leads to more on the field.

Defensive tackle Logan Hall said he's "not sure on the number" of pounds that Vea has lost, but said his teammate is moving great this spring and defensive line coach Kacy Rodgers agreed that Vea "looks a lot different." Playing at a lighter weight might help Vea avoid some of the lower-body injuries he's dealt with in recent seasons and Rodgers is looking for other changes as well.

Rodgers said on Tuesday that Vea has been "the good guy" but that the team wants to see him become "the dominant guy" on the field this season.

“Vita has to play better,” Rodgers said, via PewterReport.com. “When you are talking about that and just looking at plays he’s leaving out there, Vita is a really strong man when he uses his hands and proper technique he’s hard to stop. That’s the thing. He plays hard and does everything we ask of him. Just when you go back and look at some plays, ‘You should have made that play. You know that guy should not be blocking you.’ That’s kind of where we need him to take the next step because he does everything, everything else we ask him for.”

Vea has been a productive part of the Bucs defense for most of his six seasons. A step to an even higher level in Year Seven would make for a thornier defense for Bucs opponents to manage.