April 20 Updates
The Buccaneers kicked off their nine-week offseason workout program for 2026 on Monday and Calijah Kancey was in attendance. That makes sense, because more than anything, Kancey plans to be there in the upcoming season.
"My main goal is to play every game," he said on Monday regarding what he'll be focusing on as the work for 2026 begins. "That's my main goal. No stats, no nothing – just play every game. Be ready to play every game."
It's easy to understand why this would be Kancey's primary concern. The 19th-overall pick in the 2023 draft, he has shown that level of talent when available, but that availability has been the issue. Three years in, Kancey has yet to play a full 17-game season. He missed three games and large parts of several others due to a training camp calf injury in his rookie campaign. Another calf injury knocked him out for five contests in 2024.
Neither of those issues led to a stay on injured reserve, but that changed last year when, in just the second week of the season, Kancey tore a pectoral muscle, an injury that required surgery. Initially thought to be done for the season, Kancey worked hard to get back on the field in Week 18, helping the Bucs win a must-have contest against the Carolina Panthers. (Perhaps coincidentally, perhaps not, the Bucs won all three games in which Kancey took part.)
As a first-round pick, Kancey's initial NFL contract was four years long, with a team option for a fifth season. He is headed into his fourth season, and the Buccaneers must decide whether or not to pick up his fifth-year option by May 1. Kancey said he hasn't given that issue any thought.
"I'm here to play football," he said. "I wish I had more knowledge on it, but that's not [something] I'm worried about. I know if I go out there and do what I need to do, it will all happen. That's the least of my worries."
Certainly there's good reason for the Bucs to exercise that option, with the hope that Kancey's injury fortune will improve going forward. In his 29 games played, Kancey has recorded 11.5 sacks, 22 tackles for loss and a whopping 30 quarterback hits. In 2024, when he had 7.5 sacks in just 12 games played, Kancey was credited by NFL Next Gen Stats as creating 37 quarterback pressures. Players who can put that type of pressure on a passer from up the middle of the pocket are highly coveted in the NFL.
CLICK HERE for a breakdown of the Bucs' 2026 offseason program.
