If there’s one thing the Tampa Bay Buccaneers cannot afford this year, it’s another slow start from Calijah Kancey. In each of his first two seasons, the former first-round pick has suffered early-season calf injuries that have slowed him down.
But, after a healthy offseason and a solid training camp, Todd Bowles and the Bucs have high expectations. The Athletic‘s Dan Pompei believes he’s ready to make the jump to lead all defensive tackles in sacks this season.
Kancey Ready for Breakout After ‘Steady Progress’ in 2023 & 2024
Yesterday, The Athletic NFL Staff compiled one bold prediction for each team in 2025. After “steady progress” across his first two seasons, senior writer Dan Pompei projected that Buccaneers defensive lineman Calijah Kancey will lead all defensive tackles in sacks.
But, as Pompei noted, Kancey has experienced recurring calf injuries that have already cost him eight games. As one of the smaller interior rushers in the league, Kancey relies more on his quickness and ability to explode off the line than overpowering strength.
One of the keys to Kancey’s ascension will be the addition of veteran edge rusher Haason Reddick. As Buccaneers Wire’s Ashlie Abrahams wrote about back in May, Reddick should be one of the most impactful free agent additions in the league.
“Bowles now has the flexibility to move Reddick around, stand him up, drop him into coverage occasionally, or let him pin his ears back and attack the quarterback,” Abrahams wrote. “Pairing Reddick with emerging pass rusher Yaya Diaby should create more opportunities for sacks, not from the outside but inside for Vita Vea and Calijah Kancey,” Abrahams continued.
While Vea tends to get most of the attention up front, Buccaneers Staff Writer/Reporter Brianna Dix wrote that “Kancey provides an ideal complement to Vea’s strength” during her 2024 position review this January.
“He tests linemen with a mental rundown of tells, then uses a variety of moves in his toolbox to bait at the line of scrimmage,” Dix wrote. “Kancey became a focal point in Todd Bowles’ pressure packages in 2024 with his explosion and twitchy feet,” she continued.
Todd Bowles and Buccaneers ‘Expect Big Things’ for Kancey in 2025
Me: Despite playing just 12 games last season, Calijah Kancey led the Buccaneers with 7.5 sacks, recording 6.5 of those across the final nine games. On Wednesday, Dix wrote about Kancey’s ascension, noting that head coach Todd Bowles contributed his improvement to his growing understanding of blocking schemes.
“Just of how they are setting and blocking him, quick-setting or whether they are coming off the ball and how to use his hands, really how to work with Vita and set each other up for pressure is when they go across the ball,” said Bowles.
In addition to his growth in the mental aspect of the game, Kancey is well-positioned to rack up even more sacks, thanks to an improvement in his training regimen. Obviously, the Buccaneers will need all their defenders to stay healthy this season, but the health of their pass rushers will be of utmost importance.
“He knows that journey begins by being available and he spent the offseason focused on a strict training regimen to keep his body right for the toll of a 17-week season,” Dix wrote on Wednesday.
Even though he’s considered undersized at the position, he combines first-step quickness and a high motor to attack the weak points of each offensive line. Bowles made a point to acknowledge that they “look for big things from him” now that Kancey is finally healthy to start a season.
“He is very tough,” Bowles said. “Everybody thinks he is small, but he is extremely tough and he can hold a double team and do all the little things for us.”
If the Buccaneers can stay healthy, their ability to alternate between Vea’s bullrush, Kancey’s change-of-direction and Reddick’s bend around the corner should give opponents nightmares.
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