At the start of every new NFL season and offseason workout program, resolutions and goals are jotted down. For Buccaneers' third-year defensive tackle Calijah Kancey, he is focused on training the body. In discussing his exit interview with Head Coach Todd Bowles following the 2024 campaign in which he led the team with 7.5 sacks, Kancey discussed his internal reflection.
"It was more so me making sure that I am ready when the beginning of the season comes and not missing those five games that I did the first two seasons," said Kancey. "Really, just making sure that I am doing everything to not miss those games but also help the team to dominate at a high level."
Despite missing the first five games of the 2024 season due to a calf injury, he posted 6.5 sacks over the final nine games. He had the same stellar production during his rookie campaign in 2023. In that season, Kancey was named the NFL Defensive Rookie of the Month for November. He became the first interior defensive lineman in team history to win Rookie of the Month honors, recording 10 tackles (seven for loss), four quarterback hits, 2.0 sacks and one pass defensed through four games in November. Following that month, Kancey was the only rookie with 25-or-more pressures on fewer than 350 defensive snaps per TruMedia data. That high-caliber play came off a four-week absence to begin the year because of a calf ailment, which he aggravated in Week One. Kancey concluded his rookie season with 10 tackles for loss, 12 quarterback hits and 4.0 sacks.
When asked by reporters what a 17-game season would look like with a clean bill of health, Kancey emphatically responded, "I think you would be looking at the sack leader."
Kancey is looking to compete for the NFL sack title to raise the bar and he knows that starts with being available. The former Panther pairs lethal first-step quickness with a downhill-charge that wrecks leaning offensive linemen. Kancey's twitchy feet, insatiable appetite for hunting quarterbacks, outstanding contact balance and movement skills to slide from gap to gap make an impact at the line of scrimmage. He utilizes a tactical approach to the game, prioritizing the chess match and using moves to set up ensuing ones in a calculated rush plan. In order to ascend, Kancey is vocally self-aware, recalling mistakes to foster growth.
"I have a play right now in my head where I missed a tackle," stated Kancey. "It was the Raiders game…I was the off-ball linebacker, but I was lined up in the A-gap and I was going to drop into coverage, but it ended up being a draw. I took the easy way out and went under instead of over and then the guy ran by and he out-ran me. That's a missed tackle."
After taking a reflective view on last year's campaign and its abrupt end, Kancey is dialed into a strict training regimen for 2025 to achieve both consistency and durability. With a fully-healthy Kancey in the mix, the sky is the limit for the Buccaneers' defense.
