Third-year Buccaneers defender draws high praise in training camp

Tampa Bay Buccaneers defensive lineman Calijah Kancey is entering the 2025 season with momentum, optimism, and high expectations from both teammates and coaches.

The Buccaneers are monitoring his workload during training camp as he looks to stay healthy and build off a promising, albeit injury-shortened, start to his career.

Tampa Bay has big plans for the young defensive tackle, and he’s embracing the challenge. Head coach Todd Bowles made it clear the team is doing everything it can to keep Kancey fresh and available early in the season.

"It would be great for him to start the season and not miss any time. The past two years, I think he missed five games apiece and still came back and played,” Bowles said. “We're monitoring that every day. Obviously, you can't put a handle on it. He's feeling great right now. As time goes forward, we've just got to make sure we continue to monitor the things he does and how he gets warmed up and everything else, and that it doesn't boil over into that. That'll be very important for us."

Kancey’s physical talent has never been in question, and one of the Buccaneers' veteran leaders on defense, Vita Vea, echoed the excitement around his young teammate.

“I expect big things from him. He has shown a lot,” Vea said. “Especially from OTAs to minicamp to now, he has shown a lot of upsides in how he is playing, and how much he has learned in the past couple of years. I am excited to see what he does this year, and I expect nothing but big things from him."

The development on the field is matched by Kancey’s mindset off it. After battling injuries in each of his first two seasons, he’s determined to improve his consistency and technical approach.

“It’s been going great,” Kancey said of his training camp so far. “[I've] really [been] flying around in the sun getting in football shape. [It's] really fun doing what you love." “Really [it's] just having good technique. “I know [with] me being an undersized guy, I can't afford to lack technique because I could put myself in bad body positions, versus guys who [are] already bigger than me. It's really a consistency thing, just being able to do the same thing over and over every play."

If Kancey can stay on the field and continue building on his skill set, he has the potential to be one of the most disruptive interior defenders in the NFC. Tampa Bay is hopeful this is the year it all clicks for him — and so is he.