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Bucs-Vikings Inactives | Calijah Kancey Cleared for NFL Debut

First-round draft pick DL Calijah Kancey has overcome a calf injury and will be in the lineup when the Buccaneers' kick off their 2023 regular season in Minnesota on Sunday

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Defensive lineman Calijah Kancey, the Tampa Bay's first pick in the 2023 draft, didn't practice for nearly six weeks due to a calf injury before returning to the field this past Thursday. Despite that extended absence, he has been deemed ready to play on Sunday in the season opener and will make his much-anticipated NFL debut against the Minnesota Vikings.

The Buccaneers selected Kancey with the 19th overall pick in this year's draft. The teams' next pick, in the second round, was North Dakota State offensive lineman Cody Mauch, who like Kancey quickly carved out a spot in the starting lineup. Mauch was also a question mark heading into the weekend due to back spasms that kept him out of practice on Thursday and Friday, but he too has been cleared to play.

The Buccaneers and Vikings submitted their list of inactives at 11:30 a.m. ET on Sunday, 90 minutes before the scheduled kickoff of their shared season-opener at Minnesota's U.S. Bank Stadium. The Buccaneers did not elevate any players from the practice squad in Week One and thus had to name five inactives to get down to the game-day limit of 53. The Vikings elevated running back Myles Gaskin and outside linebacker Benton Whitley from the practice squad on Saturday but came into the game with a 52-man roster and thus had to name six players inactive. One of those six is rookie quarterback Jaren Hall, as Minnesota is making use of the NFL's new "inactive third quarterback" rule.

Minnesota's defense will be without one of its main offseason acquisitions, as former Saints edge rusher Marcus Davenport suffered an ankle injury in practice on Friday and has been declared inactive for the opener.

BUCCANEERS INACTIVES

• DL TE Payne Durham

• CB Derrek Pitts

• RB Ke'Shawn Vaughn

• T Brandon Walton

• OLB Markees Watts

None of the Buccaneers inactives are out due to injury.

VIKINGS INACTIVES

• OLB Andre Carter

• OLB Marcus Davenport

• QB Jaren Hall

• TE Nick Muse

• T David Quessenberry

• DL Jaquelin Roy

Davenport is out due to injury.

View photos of the Buccaneers arriving for their Week 1 game against the Minnesota Vikings.

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