“I’m just trying to focus on being stronger and faster for longer,” Vea said, “rather than trying to get this much stronger, this much faster.”

Vea, a Pro Bowler in 2021, has 23-1/2 career sacks, including 12 over the past two seasons. But he dealt with pectoral, groin, foot and toe issues last season, missing two games.

“I think some of it is weight, some of it is just getting nicked up at the wrong time,” Bowles said. “It’s a combination of a lot of things. But he looks great right now, and I’m happy where he’s at.”

While Bowles said Vea made the decision to reshape his body without prodding from the Bucs, there clearly was some motivation coming out of AdventHealth Training Center.

Defensive line coach Kacy Rodgers called out Vea in a late April news conference. Asked who he wanted to see take a “step forward” this season, Rodgers immediately mentioned Vea.

“Vita has to play better,” Rodgers said. “When you are talking about that and just looking at plays he’s leaving out there, Vita is a really strong man. When he uses his hands and proper technique, he’s hard to stop. That’s the thing. He plays hard and does everything we ask of him.

“Just, when you go back and look at some plays, ‘You should have made that play. You know that guy should not be blocking you.’ That’s kind of where we need him to take the next step, because he does everything. Everything else we ask him for.”

Vea has used the sting of losing to the Detroit Lions in the division round of the playoffs, as well as the noise from critics, as motivation to come back stronger — and seemingly lighter — this season.

“I think we got written off last year that we weren’t going to make the playoffs. We made it to the second round,” Vea said. “I think there was a lot of a good, a lot of positive stuff that happened for us. And I think that just helped out everybody, although it wasn’t the outcome we wanted.”

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