The Tampa Bay Buccaneers have remained a force in the NFC even after the retirement of Tom Brady, who led them to a Super Bowl win in 2021.
With Baker Mayfield leading the team’s attack, the Buccaneers have managed to extend their streak of winning the NFC South division to four years after going 10-7 in the 2024 campaign.
However, Tampa Bay’s defense has room to improve after finishing last season just 17th in the league with 22.7 points allowed per game. Defensive end Calijah Kancey could help the Buccaneers on that end, and he’s confident he can make a huge mark that will be felt by the rest of the NFL, provided that he’s healthy.
“I think you’d be looking at the sack leader if [I] suit up for all 17 games,” Kancey said on Monday (h/t Grant Gordon of NFL.com).
Kancey has yet to play a full season since he turned pro in 2023, when the Buccaneers selected him in the first round (19th overall) of that year’s NFL draft.
Tampa Bay Buccaneers have a promising defensive weapon in Calijah Kancey
Kancey, who just turned 24 years old in March, has shown lots of promise when he’s on the field.
In his rookie season, he played in 14 games and recorded four sacks to go with 26 combined tackles and 12 quarterback hits. In 2024, he appeared in 12 games, recording 7.5 sacks, 28 combined tackles and 17 quarterback hits.
Calf issues caused him to miss several games in his first two seasons in the NFL, but the hope is that he will be much healthier in his third season in the league.
“It was moreso me making sure that I’m ready come the beginning of the season,” Kancey shared about his conversation with Tampa Bay head coach Todd Bowles, “Not missing those [eight] games that I did the first two seasons, and really just making sure I’m doing everything to not miss those games and continue to dominate at a high level.”
For More NFL and College Football News & Updates:
Follow me on X (formerly Twitter) at @Rexwell14. Also, do not forget to regularly check out the latest Gridiron Heroics content. To read more of our articles and keep up to date on the latest in the world of NFL and college football in terms of transactions, analysis, game previews, free agency, recruitment, transfers, and more, just click here!
