NFL Media’s Ian Rapoport reports the Buccaneers are not closing the door on getting DT Calijah Kancey back at some point this season.
Kancey tore his pectoral and had surgery to repair it last week. Typically that kind of injury takes three months to heal. Rapoport says if the Buccaneers advanced past the first round of the playoffs, Kancey could have enough time to make it back.
The other silver lining for Tampa Bay is that muscle injuries like this usually don’t linger into the following season, so Kancey should be just fine for 2026 one way or another.
Kancey, 24, was a two-year starter at Pittsburgh but was named to the freshman All-American team in 2020. He was a third-team All-American in 2021 and a unanimous first-team All-American in 2022, as well as the ACC defensive player of the year.
The Buccaneers selected him with the No. 19 overall pick in the first round of the 2023 NFL Draft. He signed a four-year, $15,493,213 contract that includes a $8,267,791 signing bonus and includes a fifth-year option for the 2027 season.
In 2025, Kancey appeared in two games for the Buccaneers and recorded one tackle.
We’ll have more on Kancey as the news is available.
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