The Bucs have signed two more of their 2023 draft picks. The team announced today that they have officially signed defensive tackle Calijah Kancey, the Bucs’ first-round pick, and outside linebacker Yaya Diaby, Tampa Bay’s third-round pick, to their respective rookie contracts.

Both deals are for four years with Kancey’s having a fifth-year team option that must be exercised or declined following his third year in the league. While the specific details of the full contracts are currently unknown, Kancey’s 2023 salary cap number should be around $2,635,178 and Diaby’s should be around $993,713 per overthecap.com.

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

Kancey was regarded as one of the best-pass rushing defensive tackles in the past several drafts. It was a big reason the Bucs selected him 19th overall in the 2023 NFL Draft. He was top-10 among interior defensive linemen per Pro Football Focus in defensive grade (91.8) and pressures (47) while ranking first overall in pass rush grade (92.4). Over his three-year career at the University of Pittsburgh Kancey recorded 91 total tackles, 34.5 tackles for loss and 16 sacks, including 7.5 sacks in 2022.

Diaby was selected 82nd overall in the third round of the 2023 NFL Draft. Diaby is a physical specimen at 6-foot-3 and 263 pounds, and brings a power element that was previously lacking from the Bucs edge rusher group. From 2020-2022 Diaby totaled 94 tackles 19.5 tackles for loss and 10.5 sacks. He enjoyed a breakout campaign in 2022 recording nine of his career sacks in his final year at Louisville.

Kancey and Diaby join inside linebacker SirVocea Dennis, outside linebacker Jose Ramirez, tight end Payne Durham, defensive back Josh Hayes and wide receiver Trey Palmer, who have all signed their rookie contracts. Second-round pick Cody Mauch, who is slated to start at right guard, now remains the only Bucs draft pick who has not signed at this point.

That is to be expected as most second-round picks have not finalized their deals. It is the only round of the draft that has over half of the players selected unsigned at this time. This is to be expected as each year second-round picks have been able to negotiate for larger percentages of their contracts to be guaranteed at signing and this year’s class (Mauch included) are aiming to beat their 2022 counterparts.

How Did The Bucs Fit Calijah Kancy And YaYa Diaby Under The Cap?

In order to make room for the signings the Bucs have restructured the contracts of Tristan Wirfs and Antoine Winfield Jr. per Greg Aumun of Fox Sports.

To create cap space to sign more draft picks, the Bucs restructured the contracts of Tristan Wirfs and Antoine Winfield, both in the fourth year of their rookie deals. They were due to make a combined $5.8 million in base salary. No extensions, but frees up the space they needed.

— Greg Auman (@gregauman) June 14, 2023

Pewter Report confirmed Auman’s report.

Winfield is playing on the final year of his rookie deal while Wirfs had his fifth-year option for 2024 picked up earlier this offseason. Both restructures add void years to the players’ current deals, but with both players likely to be signed to long-term extensions next year, the future cap implications of the restructures will be minimal going forward.