'He will push for All-Pro honors' – NFL analyst teases major breakout year for key Tampa Bay Buccaneers player
The Bucs need a few players to take the next step in 2025 and it sounds like one is ready to do just that.
Calijah Kancey is one of the most promising players on the Tampa Bay Buccaneers roster and he showed why in 2024 by leading the team in sacks despite missing five games.
Honestly, the only thing holding Kancey back are the calf injuries he's experienced in his first two seasons as a Buc. The former first-rounder hurt each separate calf prior to the '23 and '24 season-openers and the injuries forced him to miss a combined eight games over that span.
Year 3 is a crucial year for Kancey – he has to stay healthy. Not only just for his own personal development and gain, but the Buccaneers need him to take that step forward in 2025. The defensive line has a real chance to be one of the NFL's best and the ripple effect that would have on the rest of the unit would provide a major boon for Todd Bowles and Co.
Per training camp reports, Kancey looks really good. CBS Analyst Pete Prisco has produced the strongest reviews, however, as he recently tweeted he's heard Kancey has looked "unblockable" at times. He even went as far to say the situation could reach an All-Pro-level by the end of 2025:
“It would be great for him to start the season and not miss any time," Bowles told reporters after the first day in pads. "The past two years, I think he missed five games apiece and still came back and played. We’re monitoring that every day. Obviously, you can’t put a handle on it, [but] 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 is one of the quicker defensive linemen in the NFL and he knows exactly how to use it to his advantage. His ability, along with the wrecking ball that is Vita Vea and long, powerful Logan Hall, helps form a unique combination of strength, quickness, versatility, and length up front.
If all of that gets put together in the right way and Kancey breaks out, it's easy to see the Bucs rising to the top of the NFL when considering what's expected from Baker Mayfield and the offense.