Can Bucs DT Calijah Kancey Break Out This Season?

The Tampa Bay Buccaneers used their first-round pick in the 2023 NFL Draft to select defensive tackle Calijah Kancey. Kancey is ready to take a leap in year two and be a commanding pass rusher for the Buccaneers defense.

His rookie season he recorded four sacks and 26 tackles in 14 games. The Bucs have had a good track record recently with first-round picks and many think Kancey is poised to have a breakout season in 2024.

Head coach Todd Bowles has made it clear this offseason he hopes to see more pass rush from the Bucs defensive front. Kancey will attempt to form a strong 1-2 combo with fellow interior lineman and Pro Bowler Vita Vea.

Vea has been a force on the inside for years and is a good player whom Kancey can learn from.

Over training camp and the offseason, the defensive tackle out of Pitt set some big goals for himself like being a Pro Bowler this season and recording doubt-digit sacks.

If Kancey ends up reaching the 10-sack mark paired with YaYa Diaby and Vita Vea the Bucs will have one of the more ferocious pass rushes in the NFL.

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One of the weak spots of the Buccaneers squad last season was getting to the quarterback, but with big leaps from Kancey and Diaby, they hope that issue is resolved and both second-year players can wreak havoc on opposing quarterbacks.