The Cincinnati Bengals will be hosting the Tampa Bay Buccaneers in Week 1 to kick off the new season. Tampa has had a bit of a checkered health record among their players, but the biggest question mark was defensive tackle Vita Vea, who had demanded a trade and was holding in.
Well, now we know Vea will be taking the field, and it will be an early test for this interior offensive line.
On Wednesday, Vea agreed to a contract extension with the Bucs that effectively guarantees he plays in Week 1 if healthy.
Vea has been one of the most consistent defensive tackles in his tenure with the Bucs since they drafted him in 2018. He now makes that defensive line quite fearsome. They had 37 sacks last year, and they added rookie Rueben Bain Jr. in the first round, and he looks like he will be determined to show the NFL was wrong to doubt him because of his arm length.
The Bengals have been super excited about keeping continuity at offensive line for the first time in Joe Burrow’s career. Now, it looks like they will get an early test.
