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If fans of the Tampa Bay Buccaneers weren’t flying high from Sunday night’s win for the Tampa Bay Buccaneers over the New Orleans Saints, they will be now. Rick Stroud dropped a bomb on Twitter Monday afternoon, reporting the team is designating injured defensive tackle Vita Vea for return from injured reserve.
#Bucs are designating DT Vita Vea for return from injured reserve. He will begin practicing Wednesday and could be activated for Sunday's NFC title game. Vea fractured his ankle against the Bears in Oct.
— Rick Stroud (@NFLSTROUD) January 18, 2021
Like Stroud says in the tweet, the last we saw Vea was against the Chicago Bears in Week 5 of the regular season.
It was during the game the standout defensive lineman fractured his ankle and was subsequently placed on the injured reserve.
Given the nature of ankle injuries, questions have arisen lately about whether or not the 347-pound defensive tackle could return. Recovery on ankle fractures is sensitive with even slight errors in step or workouts creating potential setbacks. Vea’s size only complicates things when recovering from an injury to a lower extremity.
Per the report, the Buccaneers plan on having Vea back at practice on Wednesday to see if he is healthy enough to be active for Sunday’s NFC Championship game against the Green Bay Packers.
Even if he doesn’t play on Sunday, it’s a good sign Tampa Bay could have their starting eleven ready to roll for the Super Bowl, should they make it past Green Bay without him.
No matter the result, it’s good news, and something sure to add a little extra juice to practice and preparation this week as we head towards Tom Brady vs Aaron Rodgers, part 2, in Lambeau Field.