The countdown to the Bucs’ 2026 season is on. Right now, we’re:

61 days away from Bucs regular season kickoff
31 days away from Bucs preseason kickoff
15 days away from Bucs training camp

In the lead-up to training camp, Pewter Report’s Bailey Adams will be diving into storylines for 26 key figures who will be crucial to the Bucs’ success in 2026.

Today, the series continues with defensive tackle Calijah Kancey.

26 For ‘26: Calijah Kancey Bucs Storylines In 2026

Can Calijah Kancey FINALLY Stay Healthy In 2026?

Before you got to this point, you had to know what the primary storyline for Kancey would be heading into 2026, and that’s his health. It’s been the story of his career since being the Bucs’ first-round pick in the 2023 Draft. It’s an issue that dates all the way back to his first NFL training camp, when he suffered a calf injury that cost him the rest of camp and the preseason. Kancey made it back for a brief NFL debut in Week 1, but then missed the next three games after reaggravating that injury.

Kancey went on to play the rest of Tampa Bay’s games, finishing the year having played 14 of a possible 17 games and 16 of a possible 19 when you include the playoffs. He looked to come back healthy in 2024, but suffered another calf injury just prior to the season. He missed the Bucs’ first five games as a result, leaving him to play 12 out of a possible 17 in the regular season and 13 of 18 overall.

Bucs DT Calijah Kancey – Photo by: Cliff Welch/PR

Then came 2025. With the calf issues believed to be in the past, Kancey was looking forward to having a healthy third season in the league — one in which he’d reach his full potential. But his season was pretty much over before it started, as he suffered a torn pectoral muscle in Week 2 and only just made it back for Week 18. Make that 3 of a possible 17 games played.

Entering his fourth year, Kancey has played in 29 regular season games while missing 22 thus far in his three seasons with the Bucs. That’s a problem, obviously. When he’s been on the field, the young defensive tackle has looked like every bit of the player Tampa Bay thought it was getting when it took him with the No. 19 overall pick back in 2023. But he hasn’t been on the field enough.

That makes the 2026 season so important for Kancey. The 25-year-old already had his fifth-year option picked up for the 2027 season, but another injury-plagued season this year and he’ll face long odds when it comes to earning a new contract in Tampa Bay beyond next season. At the very least, another season in which he misses a significant chunk of time will only work against him when it comes time to negotiate on a new deal — whether with the Bucs or elsewhere.

What’s Calijah Kancey’s True Ceiling — And Can He Reach It In 2026?

The bizarre reality of Kancey’s career thus far is that we truly haven’t had a chance to find out what his real ceiling is. A big part of that comes down to the fact that he has missed 22 games over three years. What can he do in a full season? No one knows yet because unfortunately, no one has seen it at the NFL level.

Bucs DT Calijah Kancey and Lions QB Jared Goff – Photo by: USA Today

Kancey was bold enough to go on the record last April and say that if he could stay healthy for the full 2025 season, he could lead the league in sacks. Instead, he played in just three games and was held without a sack.

Kancey may have gone a little far in his projection for what he could do with a full 17 games. But hey, self-belief can be powerful. Still, it’s hard to imagine his ceiling being anywhere close to the league-leading and NFL single-season record 23 sacks Myles Garrett totaled last year. Even in 2024, Trey Hendrickson’s 17.5 sacks led the league, and it’s hard to see Kancey rivaling that number from his interior spot.

Still, Kancey’s career high sack total was the 7.5 he had over the 12 games he played in 2024. He had 39 total pressures over those 12 games after posting 34 in his 14-game rookie campaign. He gets after the quarterback with the best of them, with elite quickness and athleticism. It really feels like there’s double-digit sack potential in him if he can just manage to stay healthy for 17 games — or even 15?

Kancey will have plenty of help around him in 2026, too. He’s obviously benefitted from playing next to Vita Vea and Yaya Diaby throughout his career, but having A’Shawn Robinson as the other defensive tackle and getting more off the edge from Diaby, first-round pick Rueben Bain Jr., Al-Quadin Muhammad and David Walker should create more opportunities for him on the interior this year. He has the ability and experience needed to take advantage of it.

He. Just. Has. To. Stay. Healthy.

Will Calijah Kancey Position Himself For An Early Extension Ahead Of 2027?

Once again, this all hinges on whether Kancey can stay healthy. As mentioned above, his fifth-year option was already picked up by the Bucs, so he’s signed through the 2027 season and won’t hit free agency until March of 2028. But this season could still play a role in deciding the disruptive defensive tackle’s long-term future.

If Kancey can’t make it through the 2026 season healthy, it’ll put a whole lot of pressure on his 2027 season. Because before Tampa Bay inks him to a second contract, it’ll surely want to see its 2023 first-round pick make it through a full year at least once, right? It’s hard to justify doling out big money to a guy who misses as many games as he plays in, isn’t it?

With that in mind, could another injury-plagued season for Kancey in 2026 officially take him out of consideration for an early contract extension next offseason? Remember, the Bucs inked Tristan Wirfs to a big-time contract before he ever played on the fifth-year option of his rookie contract. The team also signed Luke Goedeke and Zyon McCollum to their second contracts before they played out the final year of their rookie deals.

Bucs DT Calijah Kancey – Photo by: Jeffrey Jones/PR

It would be hard to reward Kancey early if he’s gone through four seasons without a healthy one. And if he finally does have a healthy year in Year 5, the negotiations on his next contract could be fascinating. Because even then, a five-year body of work with only one fully healthy season could work against him as he and his camp argue his value.

What’s would be working in Kancey’s favor is his play on the field, yes, but also his youth. Even though he missed 22 games over his first three years, those were his age-22, age-23 and age-24 seasons. Right now, he would only be 27 when he hits free agency, which is right there at the cusp of his prime.

It’ll be fascinating to follow. The easiest outcome for all parties would be Kancey making his injury issues a thing of the past and producing at a high level in 2026. That way, he can make a better case for his next contract and maybe land an early extension. And for the Bucs, it would give them a clearer picture of their plans for the future and whether including Kancey in those plans should a lock or if there’s more sense in holding off.

Catch Up On Previous Installments Of Bailey Adams’ 26 For ’26 Series

OFFENSE:

Baker Mayfield
Bucky Irving
Kenny Gainwell
Chris Godwin Jr.
Emeka Egbuka
Jalen McMillan
Cade Otton
Tristan Wirfs
Ben Bredeson
Graham Barton
Cody Mauch
Luke Goedeke

DEFENSE:

Yaya Diaby
Rueben Bain Jr.
A’Shawn Robinson