Buccaneers' First Round Draft Pick Moving Ahead in Recovery

Buccaneers' first round draft pick, DT Calijah Kancey, is making progress in his recovery to come back from a calf strain.

The Tampa Bay Buccaneers selected Pittsburgh defensive tackle Calijah Kancey with the 19th overall pick in the 2023 NFL Draft.

Kancey arrived to Tampa Bay ready to go and had been doing everything right since his arrival. According to his coaches, Kancey has looked the part on the field and has been asking the right questions to help develop/acclimate himself to the NFL game.

Unfortunately that development on the field took a hit as in just the second week of training camp Kancey suffered a non-contact calf strain that initially set him for a return in 4-6 weeks.

Bucs first round pick Calijah Kancey was just carted off the field after going down during a drill early in Sunday’s practice. #Bucs pic.twitter.com/d3QKm2o5lC

— Dustin Lewis (@DustinLewisNG) July 30, 2023

Buccaneers’ first-round pick Calijah Kancey is expected to miss four weeks with the strained calf injury he suffered last weekend, per source. Kancey could be ready for the Buccaneers’ Sept. 10 regular-season opener at Minnesota.

— Adam Schefter (@AdamSchefter) August 1, 2023

Following the injury, Kancey could be seen getting around practice in a boot and push scooter to help the healing process of the soft tissue injury.

With the regular season just over a month away, it became apparent to Kancey that he would need to do everything he possibly could to make sure he is ready for opening weekend kickoff against the Minnesota Vikings.

Now, just over a week since the injury took place, Kancey seems to be making strides in his goal to return week 1 as he attended the Buccaneers' training camp practice on Monday with a major thing missing - the boot.

First-round #Buccaneers pick Calijah Kancey is no longer in a boot.

Good sign for his recovery taking that next step. #GoBucs pic.twitter.com/XpnypaWSQB

— Logan B. Robinson (@LogansTwitty) August 7, 2023

Even though he is out of the boot, Kancey and the Buccaneers' athletic training staff are being precautious as he will continue to wear a sleeve over the injured calf to help protect it.

Kancey seems to be moving ahead of schedule in terms of his recovery from the injury. Hopefully it will continue to progress at a quicker rate so that Kancey can put the installs and knowledge he learns while off the field to work prior to kickoff on September 10th.

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