The Tampa Bay Buccaneers are loaded with talent. From Tristan Wirfs, to Antoine Winfield Jr, to impressive rookie Rueben Bain; everywhere you look there are really good players. I’d go as far as to say that the Bucs have one of, if not the most complete roster in the NFL.
With that said, it’s hard to mention all the good players in a short snippet. You can talk about how good Chris Godwin and Emeka Egbuka are, but gloss over Jalen McMillan (who I think will lead the team in receiving yards this year). Or how great Bain is and the 11.0 sacks that Al-Quadin Muhammad had last year, but not mention that Yaya Diaby as the returning starter at edge.
PFF’D
So when Pro Football Focus does this to the Bucs, I won’t pretend to be outraged about it. This was the case recently when they put out their defensive line rankings where they slotted the Buccaneers at 11th overall. The mentioned how good Bain has looked early. However, there was one notable name not listed and I understand why.
Calijah Kancey was not mentioned at all in the article. At first, this surprised me as he makes up one half of one of the best defensive tackle duos in the NFL. Then I remembered that Pro Football Focus has always been inexplicably low on Kancey and that he missed most of last season so there is a chance that the author just forgot about him.
That’s kind of where my issue is. Now one forgot about Baltimore Ravens star defensive tackle Nnamdi Madubuike after missing most of last season with a neck injury. And people don’t seem to overlook lesser players like T’Vondre Sweat (mentioned in the defensive line article) who has only played on forgettable teams.
It’s A Buccaneers’ Thing
So why does the world seem to continuously overlook a player who finished top 10 in defensive rookie of the year votes and someone who has had double digit tackles for loss in each of his first two seasons? For whatever the reason why, Calijah Kancey has become the latest underrated Buccaneer.
If you want to tell me that this is because of his injuries, then I can listen to that. When you only played three games last year, you need to show the world that you are back and at full strength. Even if the Bucs did have a 3-0 record in the games that Kancey played in.
However, I once again point to Madubuike. Many have talked about (including this article that ranks the Ravens 7th) how his return will be a major boost to the defense after playing in two games last year and suffering a potentially career ending neck injury. Why is his return, which has more questions surrounding how he’ll bounce back, heralded as a major boost while Kancey isn’t mentioned at all?
You might say, “well that’s because Kancey isn’t as good as Madubuike”. And you might be right in saying that. However, I don’t think the gap is as large as you might think.
Remember that in his first two years, Madubuike only had 3.0 total sacks and 9 tackles for loss in 25 games before starting to break out in his third year. Kancey had better numbers in his rookie year alone. If healthy, it’s reasonable to expect that last year had All Pro potential like we saw with Madubuike in 2023.
Apples-Oranges-Apples
But I don’t want to compare what Kancey has done to the field of the worst versions of a player, I want to compare him to the best.
Last season, Leonard Williams was named second team All Pro. He recorded 7.0 sacks and 9 tackles for loss. Both are less totals than Kancey in 2024. In 2022 Tennessee Titans defensive tackle Jeffrey Simmons made his second All Pro team. He has 7.5 sacks (the same as Kancey in 2024) and 9 tackles for loss. In 2024 Kansas City Chiefs star defensive tackle was an All Pro with 5.0 sacks and 9 tackles for loss.
So in terms of splash plays, what we have seen from Kancey as an interior rusher already puts him on par, if not better than All Pro players in recent years. It is worth noting that Kancey’s overall tackle numbers are significantly lower than the other players I mentioned. But I will say, if you are judging defensive tackle play on raw tackle numbers then you are doing it wrong.
What I believe this reflects is the biggest misconception about Kancey. Many believe, including Pro Football Focus, that he is a bad run defender. Not just bad, but even very bad.
This could not be further from the truth.
At 6’1 and 280 lbs is small for the position. If you are asking to take on double teams then yes, he will struggle with that. Space eating is just not what you want a player like that to do.
Kancey Still Has Work To Do
However, in one on one situations we have seen Kancey more than hold his own against the best we have seen in recent history. He has gone toe to toe against the likes of former Detroit Lions center Frank Ragnow and Indianapolis Colt guard Quenton Nelson. These are two of the best interior offensive line players in the last 20 years and Kancey gave them all they could handle.
Would I say that Kancey beat those guys like a drum? No, of course not. It’ll be a cold day in hell when any defensive tackle does that to them. But Kancey had all the strength to hold the point of attack and the speed and hand usage to get off their blocks. I wouldn’t call it a mismatch for Kancey when he is going against the best blockers that the league has to offer.
So I understand to a degree. Kancey has to prove he can stay healthy and that he is the star player that he has shown to be in the early parts of his career. That isn’t an unfair thing to say.
But if you are going to say that, then be consistent. Don’t talk to me about how great Madubuike will be for the Ravens or how Chris Jones is still the dominant force for the Chiefs that he was six years ago. Because to hype them up and brush Kancey under the rug is exactly what makes him the Buccaneers new most underrated player.
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