Bucs defensive tackle Calijah Kancey is a rising star in Tampa Bay and just put the league on notice. Kancey was named NFC Rookie Of The Month for his performance in the month of  November.

From Week 9 through 12, Calijah Kancey recorded 10 combined tackles, nine solo tackles, two sacks, seven tackles for loss, four quarterback hits and one pass breakup. He did not register a statistic despite playing 53% of the snaps in the Bucs’ Week 11 loss to the 49ers, so all of this production really came in just three games.

Immediate Results From Bucs’ Rookie DT

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

It has been a thrill to see the progress comes so rapidly for the rookie, who missed almost all of the first month of the season after previously missing almost all of training camp.

A calf injury occurred just merely days into camp, delaying his return until Week 1 of the regular season. But after 11 snaps, the injury flared up again and he was out until Week 6 in October.

That is what has made the rise of Calijah Kancey so impressive. It is so difficult for defensive tackles to have their presence felt in their rookie season and yet Kancey has made play after play, dominating the backfield of the opponent.

It’s been uncanny to see a player at his position have his finger prints all over the game after just getting settled in. Bucs fans loved the duo of Vita Vea and Ndamukong Suh back in the day, now Vea’s got another running mate in Calijah Kancey that looks just as formidable albeit in a different way with a 6-foot, 286-pound defensive tackle that wins with speed and athleticism rather than size and brute force.

Calijah Kancey Is Chasing History

Bucs DT Calijah Kancey and Titans QB Will Levis – Photo by: USA Today

With over a month left to go in the season, Calijah Kancey is looking to surpass some rookie statistics of other infamous defensive tackles in Bucs’ history. Warren Sapp, Gerald McCoy and Vita Vea all had three sacks in their respective rookie seasons in Tampa Bay and each wound up making at least one Pro Bowl. Kancey currently sits at three sacks and has a chance to surpass their rookie totals with six games to go.

According to Scott Smith of Buccaneers.com, Kancey is the first interior defensive lineman to win these accolades. He also joins Lavonte David (2012), Devin White (two times in 2019) and Antoine Winfield Jr. (2020) as the only players in franchise history to earn this award. Coincidentally they are all teammates on this defense currently.

After two straight games of allowing 27 points, the Bucs’ defense hopes to rebound this weekend against the lowly Panthers to get a win and stay within the race for the NFC South division.