Though the Bucs do have several long-time veterans on defense, such as inside linebacker Lavonte David and nose tackle Vita Vea, they are also are set up well because they have a young core of players. Tampa Bay’s future looks bright as a top-level defense in the league, but the responsibility falls on the shoulders of a couple players specifically.

The new era of Tampa Bay’s pass rush and overall defensive line play will come from second year players in defensive tackle Calijah Kancey and outside linebacker Yaya Diaby. Each had their moments last year as Kancey burst onto the scene after finally overcoming his calf injury that cost him the first month of the season. He notched four sacks and 10 tackles for loss in the regular season and added another 1.5 sacks in the playoffs. Diaby was named the starting outside linebacker with nine games to go and ended up leading the team in sacks with 7.5.

Bucs’ Young Stars Have Gone Under The Radar

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

It’s a dynamic duo that has set the Bucs up for years to dominate the line of scrimmage. They were given a huge shoutout as well by NFL Network’s Sara Walsh on the NFL Insiders, which was hosted by Tom Pelissero and also had Fox NFL analyst and former offensive lineman Brian Baldinger on the day. Walsh made some great points about why they can succeed this year.

“It’s always been well known what a Todd Bowles defense can do, but I think what’s flown a little bit under the radar at least nationally, is a pair of guys that were rookies last year in Calijah Kancey and Yaya Diaby,” Walsh said. “Kancey, a defensive tackle, and Diaby, an outside linebacker, and part of the reason they went a little bit under the radar last year is because they didn’t really find their footing until halfway through.

“Kancey suffered an injury in training camp, didn’t really get going until Week 6, but then he was the NFL Defensive Rookie of the Month in November and he had 10 tackles for loss. That’s second among rookies only to his teammate Yaya Diaby, who then wound up starting the last nine game this season for the Buccaneers. Diaby had 7.5 sacks to lead Tampa Bay, these two together, combined their numbers,  20 quarterback hits, 59 quarterback pressures, 11.5 sacks and they’re really just getting started is the sense there.”

Film Breakdown

Brian Baldinger, who was also on the episode, was recently complimenting Calijah Kancey and Yaya Diaby with his infamous Baldy’s Breakdowns. In his first post, he highlighted the way Diaby moved on certain stunts along the defensive line, with the last clip also having Kancey in it.

The second video, which he posted right afterwards, was focused on Kancey and the cross-chop that found him success with some pass rushes in each of Tampa Bay’s postseason games.

Baldinger also spoke on the NFL Insiders episode about Kancey and the overall levels that the Bucs’ defense can reach with their young star players taking another step.

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

“He’s a worker,” Baldinger said. “That guy, I felt really bad when he pulled that calf in the preseason, it really knocked him out. But what you saw is these guys improved as the season went on. Sometimes you almost have to redshirt these young defensive linemen and wait till the second year, I think they’re both going to take a big year of growth.

“The guy’s out there every day in the Florida heat and humidity, he’s out there working on his game. It never really ends. He never stops working. I think both these players are really going to take a big  step forward for this defense. I think with Vita Vea and some of the other guys there, this should be a good challenge in the NFC South dealing with these two young, progressing defensive linemen.”

Check out the whole segment with Walsh and Baldinger on the NFL Insiders show.