Bucs DTs Vita Vea and Calijah Kancey – Photo by: Jeffrey Jones/PR

Hours after the Bucs came back to earn a thrilling 20-19 primetime win over the Texans in Houston, the team got the news it was fearing regarding defensive tackle Calijah Kancey.

Kancey, who left the Week 2 win in the first half with a pectoral injury, underwent further testing upon the team’s return to Tampa and those tests revealed that he did, in fact, tear his pec and will require surgery, ESPN’s Adam Schefter reported Tuesday. As a result, Tampa Bay will place the third-year defensive tackle on injured reserve, meaning his season is over after only two games.

There was certainly a fear late Monday night that this could be the reality for Tampa Bay, as head coach Todd Bowles told the media that Kancey was in a sling and that there was potential for his injury to be a serious one.

“It has a chance to be serious,” Bowles said. “We’ve got to get some X-rays. He’s in a sling right now. I’ve got to see what the final result is.”

As it turned out, the final result wasn’t a good one for the Bucs and Kancey.

Where Calijah Kancey’s Injury Leaves Him And The Bucs

It’s a brutal blow for both Calijah Kancey and the Buccaneers defense. Kancey came into the 2025 season feeling like the injury issues were fully behind him after a calf issue cost him the early parts of both his rookie season in 2023 and his second season in 2024. In fact, the 2023 first-round pick said over the summer that he felt like a full year of health could result in him leading the league in sacks. Unfortunately, this won’t be the year we find out.

As for the Buccaneers defense, they simply don’t have a one-for-one replacement to make up for Kancey’s absence. He was set to be a major part of the Tampa Bay defensive line and a key cog in the four-man pass rush. He had yet to record a sack in the first game and a half, but he did record a tackle for loss in Monday night’s game before exiting with the injury.

Bucs DTs Logan Hall and Calijah Kancey – Photo by: Jeffrey Jones/PR

In his absence, the Buccaneers will likely have to roll with a team effort to replace him. Fourth-year defensive tackle Logan Hall will have to step up, as will rookie Elijah Roberts, who earned a half-sack in Monday’s win. Veteran Greg Gaines may see some time in Kancey’s role as well. He had a strong showing against the Texans, racking up a few pressures as well as his first sack of the season.

Tampa Bay also has three defensive linemen on its practice squad, with C.J. Brewer having the most experience within the defense. Adam Gotsis and Nash Hutmacher are two other options within the building.

Calijah Kancey Left In A Unique Spot After Third Season Abruptly Ends

Calijah Kancey’s third NFL season came to a frustratingly premature end Monday night, which leaves him in an interesting spot in terms of his future. Kancey is, of course, under contract with the Buccaneers for 2026 already, but as a first-round pick, he has a fifth-year option that the team may or may not exercise.

The deadline for decisions on the fifth-year options for 2023 first-round picks will come next May, and the Bucs are left with a decision to make on a player who has shown immense potential but has also dealt with injury issues in all three of his NFL seasons. Not to mention, this is a player who will only turn 25 next March.

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

Kancey missed three games as a rookie before missing five in his second season. With Tuesday’s news, he’ll miss the final 15 games of the 2025 season, which means heading into decision time for his fifth-year option, he will have missed 23 games over three seasons as opposed to playing in 28.

Based on his play when he’s been on the field, the decision on the fifth-year option should be an easy one. But will the injury issues give the Bucs some pause? It’s hard to blame and punish a player for injuries, but the reality Tampa Bay faces is that it has to make a decision with the information it has available through Kancey’s first three seasons.

Time will tell, but for now, the Bucs and everyone associated will be hoping for a speedy and complete recovery for Kancey.