Bucs OT Wirfs, DT Vea Held Out of Opening Practices
· Yahoo Sports
With all 32 NFL teams officially practicing in full swing, the Tampa Bay Buccaneers are looking to put in meaningful work despite distractions with potential contract extensions and trade requests.
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Two-time Pro Bowl defensive tackle Vita Vea and starting quarterback Baker Mayfield are the two biggest storylines of camp, as both players have expressed disdain with current negotiations.
But, it seems like Tampa will elect to wait on Mayfield, allowing him to play out the final year of his 3-year, $100 million deal.
Vea's situation is a bit more dire, as he recently requested a trade.
"Vita Vea wants his..." ESPN Senior NFL Insider Adam Schefter said on Monday. "Tampa's been unwilling to do it, and as long as that's the case, he's going to make noise."
Despite this rising tension, Vea still made appearances at the Bucs' opening two practices, but has not suited up due to what head coach Todd Bowles is calling a "tweak."
Whether the reason is an injury or the contract situation, Vea was still seen in a cheery mood, joking around with his teammates and even helping with various defensive line drills.
On the offensive side of the ball, All-Pro left tackle Tristan Wirfs is another player being held out of early drills, as Bowles indicated he injured his hamstring in a running test on Tuesday.
While it is early on, losing reps with two of your top players is never a positive.
But, Wirfs is one of the few players on the roster with little question marks about his consistency and availability.
After starting his NFL career as a right tackle, Wirfs made a seamless transition to the left side of the offensive line, making history as the first player in NFL history to earn AP First-Team All-Pro honors at both right and left tackle.
Last season, the No. 13 pick in the 2020 NFL Draft earned a 92.7 overall PFF grade, ranking second among 89 qualified offensive tackles, according to PFF.
With the yearly runout of the NFL's Top 100 list, Wirks was ranked as the No. 52 player in the NFL earlier this week.
This is a surprisingly low mark for Tampa's franchise player, but his production and versatility speaks volumes for how he is looked at around the league.
While it is definitely too early to become concerned about these minor injuries, having two of your best players missing valuable reps with new pieces is not ideal for a Bucs team looking to reclaim the NFC South crown.