Vita Vea's latest injury update comes with a surprise that gives the Bucs a huge break

   

The Tampa Bay Buccaneers have been hit hard by injuries over the first two weeks of the season and things went up a notch on Sunday after Pro Bowl defensive tackle Vita Vea was injured in the third quarter.

Outside linebacker Yaya Diaby collided into Vea's knee as he attempted to sack Detroit Lions quarterback Jared Goff. It looked as ugly as it sounds and the initial thought was Vea could miss a chunk of time.

Vita Vea's latest injury update comes with a surprise that gives the Bucs a huge break

Vea sprained his MCL and had an MRI on Monday that revealed a Grade 2 sprain, per Bucs head coach Todd Bowles. He's considered day-to-day, which is interesting, considering the typical recovery timeline is at least a couple of weeks.

"He's gotta MCL sprain, Grade 2," Bowles told reporters. "Right now, he's day-to-day, but not ruled out."

It's a huge relief for the Bucs, however, it will be interesting to see what Vea's week looks like. Typically, a Grade 2 sprain takes a couple of weeks to recover from and that obviously doesn't coincide with the day-to-day prognosis that Bowles gave out.

If Vea can't go, it's another blow to an already-injured defensive line. Former first-round pick Calijah Kancey's return is still a big unknown as he recovers from another calf strain. Bowles described said he'll "eventually" get to day-to-day status, which obviously doesn't sound too encouraging. 

The Bucs just got Logan Hall back for the Lions game, but Vea is the definite anchor and is a game-changer at the position. He will be missed in a major way if he can't suit up against the Denver Broncos on Sunday.