Kancery has been ruled out of Sunday's regular-season opener against the Commanders due to a calf injury, Greg Auman of Fox Sports reports.
Kancey popped up on the Bucs' injury report Friday with a calf issue, and it appears serious enough for the 2023 first-round pick to be held out for Week 1. His next chance to suit up will be against the Lions on Sept. 15. With Logan Hall (foot) also ruled out for the regular-season opener, William Gholston and Ben Stille will start at defensive end, with Vita Vea starting at nose tackle.
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Buccaneers' Calijah Kancey: Could miss Week 1
Rotowire
Kancey (calf) was added to the Buccaneers' injury report Friday and is now questionable ahead of Sunday's game against the Commanders, Rick Stroud of the Tampa Bay Times reports.
The 2023 first-round pick was a limited participant in Friday's practice due to a calf injury, and he's now in jeopardy of missing Tampa Bay's regular-season opener. If Kancey is unable to suit up Sunday, expect Ben Stille or William Gholston to serve as the Buccaneers' top left defensive end.
Kancey (undisclosed) returned to practice Monday, Scott Smith of the Buccaneers' official site reports.
Kancey first reportedly missed practice last Monday for undisclosed reasons and has been sidelined since. However, the second-year pro donned the pads once again Monday and took part in warmups, suggesting he should be good to go moving forward.
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Buccaneers' Calijah Kancey: Kept out of practice Monday
Rotowire
Kancey (undisclosed) did not participate in Monday's practice session, Greg Auman of Fox Sports reports.
It's not clear what is ailing Kancey, but it shouldn't be serious enough to keep the 2023 first-round pick out of practice for an extended period of time. Kancey registered 4.0 sacks across 14 regular-season games last year, and he will play a pivotal role on the Bucs' defensive front alongside starters Vita Vea and Logan Hall.
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Buccaneers' Calijah Kancey: Primed for big second season
Rotowire
Kancey, who recorded 4.0 sacks across 14 regular-season games as a rookie in 2023, could be primed for a big step forward in his second campaign, Scott Smith of the team's official site reports.
Kancey's NFL career got off to a slow start a year ago due to a training camp calf injury that also ended up costing him three regular-season games. The Pittsburgh product went on to play under 50 snaps in all but two of his 14 contests, but he was a consistent rotational contributor that led all rookies with 12 tackles for loss before adding six stops (four solo), including 1.5 sacks, and a pass defensed in two postseason contests. Kancey now stands to benefit from not only the valuable experience he garnered as a rookie, but from the presence of a more svelte Vita Vea next to him on the defensive line.
Kancey posted 26 tackles (19 solo), including 4.0 sacks, and one pass defensed across 14 regular-season games in 2023. He added six tackles (four solo), including 1.5 sacks, and a pass defensed in two postseason contests.
The active rookie 19th overall pick got his career off to a modest start thanks to a training camp calf injury he aggravated in the season-opening clash against the Vikings after just 11 snaps, leading to absences in Weeks 2-4. However, Kancey settled in upon returning, not missing a game the rest of the way and delivering fairly consistent production. Kancey began to display his knack for disrupting offensive backfields as the campaign unfolded, although he did hit a lull down the stretch by not recording a regular-season sack after Week 14. Nevertheless, the Pittsburgh product enjoyed a resurgence in two playoff contests with 1.5 sacks, and expectations will undoubtedly be much higher for him in Year 2 now that he has a full year of experience under his belt.
