The Tampa Bay Buccaneers' week hasn't been what it normally is when talking about preparing for its next opponent or just typical life, in general. Hurricane Milton has forced the team out of Tampa Bay and into New Orleans and that's where the team will practice and get ready for Sunday's big divisional matchup.
The week got off to a bumpy start, but things have since smoothed out, since. For starters, the Bucs arrived in New Orleans safely, along with their families and pets. Next up was Tuesday's advantageous news regarding Saints quarterback Derek Carr being ruled out for this week , on top of multiple other weeks, due to the oblique injury he suffered against the Kansas City Chiefs on Monday Night Football.
Next up came the big news regarding starting defensive lineman Calijah Kancey, who has yet to play a single snap this season because of a calf injury that popped up right before Week 1. According to Bucs head coach Todd Bowles, Kancey was a full participant in Wednesday's practice, which has him on track to play against the Saints.
All-Pro safety Antoine Winfield Jr. and starting right tackle Luke Goedeke also got some work in during Wednesday's practice, which is encouraging, as well. Bowles clarified that Goedeke is still in concussion protocol, so he'll still have to be cleared by an independent doctor before he can play.
"Well, Calijah was [a] full [participant] today, so that was encouraging," Bowles said over Zoom. "[Antoine] Winfield was limited [so] we'll see a little bit more. And Luke [Goedeke] did some things today, so we'll see how they respond to practice from the day, and we'll see how the week goes. But they did do some work today."
The potential return of all three players would be an enormous boost considering their status among the team, but since Kancey's progress is pointing up the most, we'll concentrate on his potential return.
His return would have a tremendous impact on the Bucs' pass rush, especially along the defensive line and the four-man rush, in general. Vita Vea appears to be good to go since spraining his MCL a couple of weeks ago and Logan Hall has started to show why the Bucs took him with the 33rd overall pick back in the 2022 NFL Draft. If Cancey can be effective and if Hall can keep up the momentum he's built, then the Bucs' defensive line will be in great shape.
It doesn't stop there, either. YaYa Diaby continues to take steps forward in his second year and Joe Tryon-Shoyinka has looked good, so far, as well. The Bucs' pass rush, as a whole, will certainly take a step forward with Kancey's return, which is desperately needed. And that's a weird thing to say when talking about a Bowles-ran defense.
Regardless, having the front seven at basically full health against a Saints offensive line that is really banged up and starting a rookie at left tackle, would certainly go a long way toward helping the Bucs get their first division win of the season.
Local News
Comments / 0