Bucs DT Calijah Kancey.
Rueben Bain isn’t the only guy in the front-seven who has had a disappointing year.
On the front line, Calijah Kancey has been more rumor than impactful. Here or there he makes a play, but geez, he’s a shell of himself from two years ago when it looked like he was on the cusp of establishing himself as one of the better game-wreckers at defensive tackle.
The Bucs are playing good defense. And that’s very comforting since the Bucs are just as bad as ever at getting quarterbacks on the ground. Kancey last had a sack on Dec. 29, 2024 in a blowout win over the Stinking Panthers.
Yeah, Joe knows Kancey has missed a ton of time, but that’s not good for a starting defensive tackle to go 22 months without a sack, especially with his speed.
Kancey so far has knocked quarterbacks down twice. His season-high was eight in 2024. Per Pro-Football-Reference.com, Kancey has five pressures.
Kancey does have three quarterback hurries (don’t ask Joe what the difference is between a pressure and a hurry — neither prevents the quarterback from completing passes). Those three hurries match Kancey’s season-high.
So if Kancey can get going, the way the guys behind him are playing, it sure would help the Bucs defense choke out opposing offenses.