Tampa Bay Buccaneers former first-round pick Calijah Kancey had a strong start to his career. However, the start to his fourth NFL season and his third NFL season have not been nearly as valuable as his first two. As Kancey enters Week 7 with zero sacks, there are some calls for the 1-5 Bucs to explore trading Kancey.
Josh Queipo of Pewter Report noted that if the Bucs put Kancey on the trade market, he would have teams interested in his services.
“Teams would love to add his disruptive nature into the middle of their defensive fronts to add juice to their pass rush,” wrote Queipo. “If the Bucs were to make him available, there would be no shortage of suitors.”
Queipo thinks teams will try to offer a fourth-round pick, but the Bucs might not accept. However, a fourth- or fifth-round pick tied to another day three pick could have the Bucs’ interest.
Tampa Bay Buccaneers Head Coach Todd Bowles Defends Calijah Kancey
Head coach Todd Bowles noted on Wednesday that Kancey is not held out of the stat sheet for not having an impact. He is getting in the backfield; he is just not turning those into stat-stuffing moments.
“He’s being used the right way, and he is actually getting off the ball; he is in the backfield,” admitted Bowles. “We just have to turn those into sacks. Sometimes the ball is out, sometimes he is back there, and somebody else makes a play.”
However, Bowles did acknowledge that the team can find ways to turn his explosive nature into more production.
“They’re going to come because he is playing hard, and we are probably going to do some things to free him up as well,” admitted Bowles. “We need to find ways to get him open a little bit more, but he is explosive off of the ball.”
Kancey has 13 pressures on 169 pass rush attempts. Last year, he had eight pressures on 70 attempts.
Bucs Need More From Kancey
As a rookie, Kancey posted four sacks. However, he broke out in year two with 7.5 sacks. He was looking like a draft hit before he tore his pec early in the 2025 season. Kancey only played three games last year and has come back a bit rusty this year.
However, as Bowles mentioned, his underlying numbers do not look bad. He has a 10.1% pass-rush win rate according to PFF. Last year it was 4.5%. While that was a small sample size, his best years featured an 8.5% win rate and 9.5%. So, he is winning more than ever; he is just not producing.
The Bucs see that he has potential, and he is signed through the 2027 season. However, that could also improve his trade value. If Tampa is serious about a reset, Kancey is one of their best assets to sell.
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