The Indianapolis Colts have high-end talent along their defensive line, but not much depth behind DeForest Buckner and Grover Stewart. The players general manager Chris Ballard acquired this offseason don't promise brilliance.
The issue is that Buckner, who had surgery on his neck on New Year's Eve stemming from an injury in Week 9 last year, won't start training camp on the physically unable to perform list (PUP), so that's a great thing. The great defensive tackle is 32 years old, though. Teammate Grover Stewart is past 30 as well.
Should anything happen to them, Indy could be in real trouble. An answer to that potential problem already exists, though. Tampa Bay Buccaneers nose tackle Vita Vea is unhappy with his current situation and has requested a trade. The Colts should make a call to Tampa to see what it would cost to acquire Vea.
Indianapolis Colts should place a call to the Tampa Bay Buccaneers about Vita Vea
Of course, the two-time Pro Bowler isn't young, either. He is 31 years old, and his cap hit is large, even while the Bucs would eat some of his salary as dead cap. What matters most is that Vea is a unique player who can stop the run, but also get excellent interior quarterback pressure, even though he is 6'4" and 350 pounds.
He is the exact kind of disruptor that Indianapolis craves and needs to help an edge rush group that is mostly underwhelming. Laiatu Latu should be good, but all the rest of the position is iffy, at best. Adding a player like Vea helps the entire defense, but specifically the pass rush.
Since 2021, Vea has had at least four sacks every season, and that was the low mark. He had seven just two seasons ago. In 2025, he had 4.5.
If an opposing offense has to account for Vita Vea, and it certainly would, then some of the focus comes off Latu and Buckner. The current Bucs nose tackle would allow defensive coordinator Lou Anarumo to be more versatile with his alignments and his play-calling, too. Instead of worrying about a consistent pass rush, the Indianapolis Colts are suddenly dangerous.
The Bucs are going to want decent draft value back for the defensive tackle, but his age and position mean Tampa Bay isn't going to come close to getting a first-round pick in return. A second-rounder is probably out of the question, too. A third-rounder from Indy might be their best offer.
The depth at quarterback for Tampa Bay is also iffy. Baker Mayfield is the starter, but Jake Browning is his backup. Acquiring the young Richardson would allow Tampa Bay to have a full season to see if they want to keep him around longer. Mayfield is also a free agent next offseason. He is probably going to re-sign with Tampa Bay, but if he leaves, Richardson could be a built-in replacement.
The move would also get Richardson back to his home state of Florida, where he might be more comfortable. If so, he could also be more productive.
Adding Vea also allows more quality rotation along the defensive line. Backups Colby Wooden, Jerry Tillery, and Derrick Nnadi haven't been very good in their careers with other teams. Adetomiwa Adebawore is a good pass rusher, and giving Anarumo Vea too could make the Indianapolis defense a top-10 unit, as long as players stay healthy. All it takes is a phone call.
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