In a weekly column every Thursday on PewterReport.com, two Pewter Reporters will debate a topic with opposing viewpoints. Which Pewter Reporter wins the debate? You get to decide in the comments section below.

This week’s topic: Which Oft-Injured Bucs Player Must Stay Healthy In 2026?

Point: Tampa Bay Needs A Full Season From Difference-Making DT Calijah Kancey

By Josh Queipo

Let’s start by saying that the obvious answer to this question is quarterback Baker Mayfield, right? Mayfield’s reckless playing style can come back to bite him as we saw last year with various ailments, including a knee injury and a sprained non-throwing shoulder. Fortunately, Mayfield didn’t need any offseason surgery like running back Bucky Irving had on his shoulder.

More often than not, if a team loses its quarterback the season is pretty much over. The same applies to Mayfield and the Bucs, especially with only Connor Bazelak, an undrafted free agent, as the current backup. So Mayfield must stay healthy in 2026 for Tampa Bay to have a chance to rebound. But this week’s topic is about an oft-injured Buccaneer, and I’m going to go with an obvious choice in defensive tackle Calijah Kancey, who is entering a pivotal fourth season in Tampa Bay.

Bucs DT Calijah Kancey – Cliff Welch/PR

When on the field, Kancey has been one of the NFL’s better interior pass-rushing defensive linemen. His 10.6% pressure rate is impressive for his position. To put that in perspective, Leonard Williams of the Super Bowl champion Seattle Seahawks has a pressure rate just a tick above 11% over the same time frame.

Kancey can be transformative. His gap-penetrating style of play is extremely disruptive and helps elevate everyone around him. Last year, the Bucs thought they had built the right structure around Kancey, who was the straw that was supposed to stir the drink. But his torn pectoral muscle in Week 2 in a Monday night win at Houston thwarted those plans. Kancey missed 14 games during the 2025 season, finally returning to action in the Week 18 season finale win over Carolina.

Kancey succumbed to calf injuries in his first two seasons, missing a total of eight games. Adding in the 14 games he missed last season, Kancey has missed a total of 22 games in Tampa Bay, while seeing action in only 29. The Bucs are expected to pick up Kancey’s fifth-year option for 2027, but must see him stay on the field over the next two years to justify extending his contract beyond that.

If he can put it all together, Kancey can be the piece that elevates Todd Bowles’ defense. He can unlock Yaya Diaby and get the most out of Vita Vea. He is unique. He is a force multiplier. Kancey is the Bucs’ cheat code up front.

Point: The Bucs Need Benjamin Morrison To Stay Healthy And Start In 2026

By Scott Reynolds

Josh Queipo isn’t wrong. Defensive tackle Calijah Kancey has to somehow avoid the soft tissue injuries he’s faced over his first three seasons in red and pewter. Tampa Bay’s defense generated only 36 sacks last year and Kancey’s absence from 14 games was a direct result of the dip in sack production. Kancey led the team in sacks with 7.5 in 2024.

But there is another Bucs defender who has unfortunately proven to be oft-injured, too.

Cornerback Benjamin Morrison, the team’s second-round pick, dealt with multiple hamstring injuries throughout his rookie season. Tampa Bay drafted Morrison to essentially replace expensive veteran cornerback Jamel Dean, who couldn’t manage to stay healthy or make enough plays on the ball prior to the 2025 season. Dean missed nine games during the 2023-24 seasons, and had to leave the Bucs’ final playoff game in each of those years due to injury.

Bucs CB Benjamin Morrison – Photo by: IMAGN Images

The problem for the Bucs is that the cornerback they drafted to replace the oft-injured veteran is proving to be oft-injured himself. Morrison missed the final day of the mandatory mini-camp with a hamstring injury and then missed an entire month in training camp with another hamstring injury. The Notre Dame product also missed the entire preseason as a result, which stunted his development during his rookie campaign.

Morrison did appear in 10 games last year with three starts towards the end of the year, replacing injured starter Zyon McCollum. But Morrison also missed seven games during the 2025 season with more hamstring injuries. With Dean’s expected departure during free agency, the Bucs will be counting on Morrison to replace him in the starting lineup. The team already took a gamble drafting Morrison, as he missed time during his junior season with the Fighting Irish due to hip surgery.

With McCollum’s shaky play last year, combined with missing four games due to thumb and hip injuries, Tampa Bay’s cornerback position could be quite perilous if Morrison doesn’t pan out as a starter in his second season. As they say in the NFL, the best ability is “availability.” And Morrison needs to get with the training staff and figure out his hamstring issues so they don’t plague his promising career in red and pewter.