Aug 9, 2025; Glendale, Arizona, USA; Detailed view of an Arizona Cardinals helmet during a preseason NFL game at State Farm Stadium. Mandatory Credit: Mark J. Rebilas-Imagn Images Mark J. Rebilas-Imagn Images

Buccaneers sign massive 335-pound Cardinals defensive tackle

Originally posted on Tampa Bay Buccaneers on SI
By River Wells | Last updated Sep 18, 2025 11:57 AM ET

The Tampa Bay Buccaneers are already struggling with injuries in Week 3, so depth is becoming very important early on in the season. Because of that, the Buccaneers are getting some insurance after losing a starting defensive tackle to the Houston Texans.

The Bucs lost Calijah Kancey for the year to a pectoral tear he suffered on Monday Night Football, so naturally, he went right to injured reserve. That opened up a space for another player, and the Bucs brought another one on from the Arizona Cardinals' practice squad by signing massive defensive tackle Elijah Simmons.

The Buccaneers have signed DL Elijah Simmons off the Arizona Cardinals practice squad and put Calijah Kancey on IR
— River Wells (@riverhwells) September 17, 2025

What Elijah Simmons brings to the Buccaneers

Simmons, an undrafted free agent out of Tennessee, is certainly not the same archetype of defensive tackle as Kancey is. Kancey plays football at 280 pounds, while Simmons was officially listed as 335 pounds. While Kancey makes his mark as a pass rusher, Simmons is primarily a run-stuffing nose tackle, more in line with former Buccaneers offseason DT Desmond Watson.

Simmons played 55 games at Tennessee and recorded 59 combined tackles, eight tackles for loss, three pass deflections and half a sack. The move is interesting from the Buccaneers, as they just lost a pass-rushing defensive tackle, but it also makes sense — the team doesn't have many defensive linemen on the active roster, and they've been elevating players like Adam Gotsis off the practice squad for their games. Simmons is the only big nose tackle on the team that plays with Vita Vea's archetype, so the move remains a valuable one.

It's unknown how much playing time, if any, Simmons will get with the Buccaneers, but Tampa Bay is making sure they have all their bases covered as the depth gets thinner. The team has started 2-0, but signings like Simmons are a part of their efforts not to drop too many games while injuries to the trenches on both sides mount.