surrounding the Buccaneers in 2018. Their latest rookie class has been one of the driving forces behind that disappointment for much of the season. However Gerald McCoy Jersey , week 16 was the group’s best collective performance to date. Sure, that performance came in a 27-20 loss to the Cowboys and one week won’t erase the inconsistency of a whole season, but it was still encouraging nonetheless. Let’s get on with this week’s rookie recap.DT Vita VeaSunday was yet another step forward for Vita Vea, who has been one of Tampa Bay’s more consistent players over the last few weeks. In the Bucs’ latest loss, the first-rounder picked up three tackles (two solo) and a sack while playing 44 snaps (85 percent of the defense’s total). He nearly had two sacks on the day, but an unfortunate reach on one ended up in a facemask call. Regardless, Vea is definitely improving and showing signs of why the Bucs were so excited to select him with the No. 12 pick in the draft.The Washington product is up to 24 tackles and three sacks this season. After missing a considerable amount of time in the preseason and early in the season, he took a while to ease into the NFL game. In his first bit of action, the coaching staff held off on giving him a lot of snaps. But as the weeks have passed, Vea has played more and more snaps and gotten better because of it. Combine the increasing experience with whatever was said in that meeting with general manager Jason Licht prior to the team’s game against the 49ers and you have a player that is coming into his own at the end of his first season in the league. Veteran Jason Pierre-Paul had this to say about Vea on Wednesday:CB Carlton DavisLast week, Vea was the only notable rookie in the Bucs’ loss to the Ravens. This week, he had others join him. Carlton Davis has been one of Tampa Bay’s more consistent rookies throughout the season. He had been less noticeable as of late, but he quietly put together a good game on Sunday in Dallas. He picked up two tackles (both solo) and forced a fumble (that the Bucs failed to recover). On top of the numbers, he held Amari Cooper to basically nothing. Cooper, who had been on fire since being traded from Oakland to Dallas, finished the day with four catches for 20 yards. Davis was tasked with covering him, and he more than held his own.Davis’ performance in 2018 has been largely overlooked, mostly due to the overall struggles of the defense. With Brent Grimes failing to live up to his past success in Tampa, Davis has been thrown into a No. 1 cornerback role at the age of 21. On Sunday, he played 52 snaps (100 percent). There have been ups and downs, but for the most part, the second-rounder has shown plenty of encouraging signs. Here is what interim defensive coordinator Mark Duffner had to say on Wednesday when asked about Davis’ future as a starter in the NFL:S Jordan WhiteheadSpeaking of overlooked performances throughout 2018, Jordan Whitehead falls under the same category. The fourth-rounder has put together a solid rookie year, especially considering the position he has been thrown into. Tampa Bay’s secondary was already suspect heading into the year, but injuries have thinned it out even more. With Chris Conte going down with a season-ending injury early in the year and Justin Evans getting hurt more recently, Whitehead has had to step up. He still isn’t playing a ton of snaps, as he got 31 (60 percent) on Sunday. But in the snaps he is playing, the former Pitt Panther has grown week by week. In the loss to the Cowboys, he had a team-high seven tackles (all solo), with one going for a loss.Whitehead is Tampa Bay’s second-leading tackler this season with 73. Considering his status as a fourth-round pick, it feels like the safety has played well above his projected value this season. It should be interesting to see what he can do if (when) a new defensive staff comes along in the near future. It’s clear that there’s talent to work with, and Whitehead certainly plays hard.The best of the restSecond-rounder Ronald Jones II got zero offensive snaps on Sunday, but played 14 (52 percent) on special teams... Second-round corner M.J. Stewart also had 14 snaps (52 percent) on special teams, but he didn’t play on defense... Considering how ineffective the Bucs’ offensive line has been, it was good to see third-rounder Alex Cappa getting some looks. He played 28 snaps (35 percent) against the Cowboys. Of course, there have been mixed results for him during the little playing time he has gotten this season... Fifth-round receiver Justin Watson was inactive... Sixth-round linebacker Jack Cichy has been out since tearing his ACL in week seven... Undrafted free agent Shaun Wilson has been on injured reserve since mid-November with a shoulder issue. Washington Redskins coach Jay Gruden doesn't expect to go looking for another running back after losing promising rookie Derrius Guice to a torn ACL in his left knee in the preseason opener."We have guys that are here and in play," Gruden said, noting that the Redskins drafted Guice because he was the best player available in the 59th spot, "not because we weren't satisfied with the backs we have."The contenders as the No. 1 back now start with Rob Kelley and Samaje Perine.Kelley, with 16 starts in two seasons Lavonte David Jersey , missed most of last season with a variety of injuries but ran for 704 yards and six touchdowns in 2016. Perine made eight starts last season and became the first Redskins running back with consecutive 100-yard performances since Alfred Morris in 2013. He had 603 yards and one TD last season.Nonetheless, the Redskins' 90.5-yard rushing average was fifth-worst in the NFL, and Guice was looked at as a great find in the second round. Projected as a first-round pick, his stock fell amid reports of character concerns.Gruden said none of those ever surfaced and he looks forward to Guice being 100 percent next season."We're obviously very upset for Derrius. He's put a lot of work in and (had) a very promising rookie season ahead of him, but unfortunately these injuries happen," Gruden said. "... We had high hopes for him and what he could do for this football team and what he would accomplish his rookie year as a person and all that good stuff."Instead, he's hoping Kelley, Perine or veteran third-down specialist Chris Thompson, who is recovering from a broken fibula last season, can create as much excitement."I've been impressed with both of those guys," Gruden said about Kelley and Perine. "A lot of talk has been on Derrius and deservedly so. He's had a great camp and OTAs, but Rob Kelley has lost a little bit of weight. He looks quicker in the hole to me and Samaje just looks more comfortable to me. He had a couple nice licks in the game the other night."An increased opportunity was secondary in Kelley's mind after practice Saturday."It's real tough," Kelly said about Guice's injury. "He brought an energy I can't even explain to the room. I feel like everybody in the room feels a certain type of way about that. Just want to go out there and compete for him."Kelley, based on his own experience with injuries, also offered Guice some advice."I just told him to come back stronger than ever, show people what they're missing out on," he said.Star linebacker Ryan Kerrigan said he learned about Guice's status Friday when he came to the team's practice facility, and "it kind of took me a couple of minutes to get going with my workout and whatnot. ... He was the focal point of 'Skins camp, I would say, so far. I mean, people were wondering how many yards this guy's going to rush for and if they should pick him for their fantasy team. Things like that. People were really excited for him."In the interim, the season goes on, and the Redskins running backs and everyone else will get to show their stuff against a different team in the next three days as the New York Jets come to Richmond for joint workouts."The Jets have a great run defense. They always have," Gruden said. "... So, just to get a different look, different perspective on how they do things, different speed at linebacker, safeties are very, very good over there so, we have to account for them. I mean there's a lot of things that they do differently that we'll have to account for and it'll be interesting to see how we adjust. So, running backs, offensive linemen, tight ends in the running game, receivers in the running game. So, I think everybody will get a good-great challenge against these guys."Notes: The Redskins signed tight end J.P. Holtz, linebacker Jeff Knox and defensive lineman Jalen Wilkerson, waived fullback Elijah Wellman and placed Guice and tight end Manasseh Garner on their reserve-injured list. ... Gruden said defensive lineman Matt Ioannidis has a slight sprained ankle and a slight knee strain and is listed as week-to-week, but added: "Matt's a tough guy and he'll probably get back here tomorrow. He's a nutjob." ... The Jets' arrival means Terrelle Pryor will be back in Richmond. Pryor caught 20 passes last season for the Redskins, but was hobbled by injuries.