The Tampa Bay Buccaneers will have one more top defender to deploy against the Carolina Panthers on Saturday, as third-year defensive lineman Calijah Kancey was activated off injured reserve on Friday. He had spent the previous 15 weeks on I.R. due to a pectoral injury sustained in a Week Two win at Houston.
To make room for Kancey on the 53-man roster, the Buccaneers waived rookie linebacker John Bullock.
Kancey was the Buccaneers' first-round draft pick in 2023, chosen 19th overall out of the University of Pittsburgh. He had 4.0 sacks and 12 quarterback hits in 14 games as a rookie, then followed with a team-leading 7.5 sacks and 17 QB hits in 12 games in 2024. In 28 career games so far, Kancey has accumulated 29 quarterback hits and, according to NFL Next Gen Stats, 73 quarterback pressures.
Kancey adds teeth to a Tampa Bay pass rush that has generated a reasonably amount of pressure but has only accumulated 12 sacks over the last eight games combined, with only one game of three or more sacks. Head Coach Todd Bowles said on Thursday that Kancey had put together two encouraging weeks of practice in his return from the injured reserve list, but that he would likely be on a limited snap count in his first game back.
The Buccaneers need a victory against Carolina to keep their hopes for a fifth straight NFC South title alive. They would capture that division crown with a win plus an Atlanta loss to New Orleans on Sunday. In a 23-20 loss to the Panthers in Charlotte in Week 16, the Buccaneers managed just two sacks of quarterback Bryce Young.
Kancey is the fifth player to return to the active roster from injured reserve during the 2025 season, following safety Rashad Wisdom in Week 16, wide receivers Mike Evans and Jalen McMillan in Week 15 and tackle Luke Goedeke in Week 10. Each team is allowed to activate up to eight players from injured reserve during a season.
