The Bucs defense suffered a big blow in Week 2 when Calijah Kancey suffered a pectoral injury in the first half of a 20-19 win over the Texans. It didn't look good when it happened, and it wasn't long until he was ruled out for the remainder of the game. Only a day later, further testing confirmed the team's fears, as it turned out Kancey tore his pec.

The third-year defensive tackle, who led the Bucs with 7.5 sacks last season, was placed on injured reserve this week and it was expected that his season would be over.

But is Kancey's season over? As it turns out, it may not be.

A Timeline Exists For Calijah Kancey To Return To The Bucs This Season

Hours before the Bucs took the field for Sunday's Week 3 home opener against the Jets at Raymond James Stadium, NFL Network's Ian Rapoport had an intriguing update about Calijah Kancey, who ultimately may have a chance to come back this season – if Tampa Bay extends its season long enough.

Rapoport said if the Bucs make the playoffs and advance past the NFC Wild Card Round, they could see No. 94 back on the field.

Potential Calijah Kancey Return Would Be A Huge Boost In The Playoffs

There's no doubt that the Bucs will miss Kancey for the rest of the season. He's an integral part of their four-man pass rush, and as much as they'll try to forge a collective effort to replace him, the truth is that there is no replacing him. But if Tampa Bay can keep its strong start to the season going, five-peat as NFC South champions and advance past the Wild Card Round – something the team failed to do last year – a returning Kancey could be a major boost for an extended playoff run.

Bucs DTs Calijah Kancey and Vita Vea – Photo by: Cliff Welch/PR

There is a recent precedent for that type of return, though it was with a different player and injury. If you'll remember, Vita Vea fractured his ankle in Week 5 of the Bucs' 2020 season. It was thought that his season was over at the time, but with an extended playoff run, Vea returned to practice and eventually returned to action in the NFC Championship Game against the Packers. He would play in that game, as well as the Super Bowl LV win over the Chiefs.

So now, while Kancey is dealing with an entirely different injury, he'd love to follow the same path that Vea did the last time the Bucs captured the Lombardi Trophy.

Bucs Defense Can Draw Some Motivation From Calijah Kancey

Not to say that the Bucs offense won't want to do their part in order to make sure they do enough and stay alive long enough to make a Calijah Kancey return possible, but there could be an extra level of motivation for the Tampa Bay defense to do so.

Kancey is a big part of the Buccaneer defense and is especially close with Vita Vea and outside linebacker Yaya Diaby, who came to Tampa in the same draft class as him. Not to mention, there's the Miami Northwestern connection between Kancey and veteran linebacker Lavonte David, another key leader on the Tampa Bay defense. So, you can imagine those guys will want to play at a high level and make sure the defense does its part to set up a long playoff run.

Bucs DT Calijah Kancey and OLB Yaya Diaby – Photo by: Cliff Welch/PR

The Bucs had enough motivation to win the Super Bowl coming into 2025, as the makeup of this roster puts them among the best teams in the NFC. Some early adversity this season, despite their 2-0 start, is likely only going to make them hungrier.

And now, the possibility of getting Calijah Kancey back if they make a long enough run? That will only add more fuel to the fire.