Tampa Bay Buccaneers Injury Report: Did Upsetting Mighty Vikings Come at a Heavy Cost?

The NFL season has opened up with Week 1 games in full flow. There are certain worrisome signs for a few teams as they warm up to Week 2. Tampa Bay Buccaneers started off their campaign with a three-point victory over the Minnesota Vikings. As the Bucs look to retire on of their Legends jersey, they have certain issues to address. There are some concerns that are in the team’s mind going forward.

Bucs’ defensive end Calijah Kancey has picked up a re-aggravated injury during the match. The rookie playing in his debut NFL match was looking to impress the management. However, the re-emergence of his calf injury means that the Pittsburgh collegiate may be out of further action. He is an integral player for the squad and the management would be hoping that he recovers soon.

Calijah Kancey picks up a re-aggravated calf injury

It’s always blaring signs when it comes to injuries, especially when a player is appearing in his first-ever game. This is what a college rookie player aspires to be and therefore puts his efforts into achieving the same. For Calijah Kancey, he did realize his ambition of making his debut against the Vikings. The 94 jersey number made an instant impact shattering records with his unmatched speed and agility.

However, the rookie’s plans were cut short as the calf injury issue re-emerged.  Kancey had a short-sustained game-time making his presence felt during the first half. As such, his game time was only short-lived as he was pulled out of action. As per the head coach, Todd Bowles, the massively built DE isn’t ruled out of the remaining games.

Speaking with the Tampa Bay Times, Bowles said “We’re not ruling him out.” Therefore, it’s not all over for Kancey and he will feature in the subsequent matches. The aggravated injury comes months after he strained his calf earlier this year.

Decoding Calijah Kancey’s calf injury timeline

Kancey had suffered a calf strain during a practice session in late July this year. His injury looked gruesome and serious with the 2022 ACC Defensive Player of the Year looking in pain. Todd Bowles informed the press that their defensive player would undergo an MRI scan for the same.

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The rookie was turning the corner on a drill practice. When he immediately pulled up his right leg. He was in agonizing pain and hopped forward. Though he put no weight on his leg, Kancey let out a “Ah f**k” as he was booted off the field. During the off-season, Kancey worked hard on his fitness and worked his way back to manage his injury. The calf injury kept the player out of action for a minimum of 4 weeks.

Hopefully, for the Bucs’ fans, their defensive end will make a quick recovery and feature in the next games. With Week 1 games already over, the tournament now moves to Week 2. Hence, with the talent and skill sets Kancey possesses, the team would surely need his services.

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