Getty Bucs general manager Jason Licht drafted Calijah Kancey with the No. 19 pick this year.
The Tampa Bay Buccaneers can breathe a sigh of relieve after first-round pick and rookie defensive lineman Calijah Kancey‘s MRI following a calf injury.
Kancey injured his calf on Sunday, July 30, at training camp and had to be carted off the field. FOX Sports’ Greg Auman reported that Kancey’s calf strain had “no significant damage” after the MRI came back on Monday, July 31.
Bucs got good news from MRI on rookie DL Calijah Kancey’s calf strain, with no significant damage. Best scenario as calf injuries go. @NFLstroud on it first.
The Bucs took Kancey with the No. 19 pick in 2022 NFL Draft, and he’s projected to start this season.
Calijah Kancey Could Still Miss Extensive Time During the Preseason
Healthy Feet Podiatry’s Dr. Binh Nguyen previously wrote about Bucs nose tackle Vita Vea‘s calf strain in 2018, which could apply to Kancey’s case.
“Medically speaking, a ‘calf strain’ is a pretty broad term that describes an injury to the back of your lower leg. People are probably familiar with ‘pulling a hamstring.’ This injury is similar to that,” Nguyen wrote.
“There are several degrees of strains ranging from overstretching the muscle or ligament to actually tearing it. The calf muscle is made up of two muscles: the gastrocnemius and the soleus. They both merge into a single, strong tendon called the Achilles tendon,” Nguyen added.
Could be more than a calf strain. Vita Vea on cart and in a boot today at practice.
“Generally, these take anywhere from 2-6 weeks to heal depending on severity,” Nguyen continued. “Minor cases are treated with immobilization in a boot and rest. Very rarely do they need surgery.”
If Kancey misses 2-6 weeks, he will sit out at least some of the preseason games if not all of them. The Bucs will play their first preseason game on August 11 against the Pittsburgh Steelers.
A six-week wait would mean Kancey won’t take the field until the week before the Bucs’ season opener against the Minnesota Vikings on September 10.
Bucs Have High Expectations for Calijah Kancey
Kancey is projected as a defensive starter for the Bucs, amid high expectations and comparisons to fellow former Pitt star and current NFL great Aaron Donald.
“The number of ‘wow’ plays that he had in shorts was more than I was even expecting,” Bucs general manager Jason Licht told reporters on July 25 regarding Kancey. “That doesn’t necessarily always translate to making a bunch of plays in the NFL his rookie season — I’m not saying that he’s going to for sure be an All-Pro his first year or anything like that.”
“But seeing this defense kind of mold into what Todd really does like in that explosive, penetrating front that can get pressure up the middle, as well as off the edge, with all the tools that we have with Devin [White] and Lavonte [David], it’s going to be exciting, that’s for sure,” Licht added.
Bowles likewise sees a lot of progress in Kancey since offseason workouts and the start of training camp. Kancey impressed at the NFL Combine with his speed — a 4.67-second 40-yard dash.
“He’s adapting to the scheme mentally, and then he was adding his physical part to it,” Bowles told reporters on Sunday. “He’s putting it together quicker than normal rookies do. So hopefully it’s not that bad and he can get back.”