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Reice Shipley is a staff writer at Newsweek who has experience covering the NFL, NBA, MLB, and both college football and college basketball, and the sports media industry as a whole at several publications, including Awful Announcing and Barrett Media in the past. Originally from the Upstate New York area, Reice is a fan of all things Syracuse sports, along with the New York Knicks, New York Yankees, and Indianapolis Colts on the professional level.
Contributing Sports Writer
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The Tampa Bay Buccaneers were able to snatch victory away from the jaws of defeat for a second straight week in their thrilling Monday Night Football matchup against the Houston Texans. But not all was positive coming from the game, as they did lose starting edge rusher Calijah Kancey for the rest of the 2025 season.
Kancey was forced to exit in the second quarter of Sunday’s matchup after seemingly injuring his pec on a pass rush attempt. It was clear right away that when the injury was suffered, Kancey was no longer to attempt to take on the Texans’ blocker across from him.
Calijah Kancey #94 of the Tampa Bay Buccaneers reacts to a play against the Washington Commanders during the first quarter in the NFC Wild Card Playoff at Raymond James Stadium on January 12, 2025 in…
Calijah Kancey #94 of the Tampa Bay Buccaneers reacts to a play against the Washington Commanders during the first quarter in the NFC Wild Card Playoff at Raymond James Stadium on January 12, 2025 in Tampa, Florida.
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Most largely assumed that it was a serious injury that would force Kancey to be sidelined for quite some time. And unfortunately, the worst fears of Buccaneers fans came to fruition on Tuesday, as Kancey was diagnosed with a torn pectoral injury that will require him to undergo season-ending surgery.
Tests confirmed Bucs DT Calijah Kancey tore his pec, and he now is scheduled to undergo season-ending surgery Friday, per sources. https://t.co/MDu56O2OLZ
— Adam Schefter (@AdamSchefter) September 16, 2025
This is an unfortunate end to Kancey’s third season in the NFL, which was profiled to be a potential breakout year for him. In 2024, Kancey jumped up to recording 7.5 sacks after putting together a four sack season in his rookie season in 2023.
Only time will tell how Kancey’s absence will impact the Buccaneers on the defensive side of the ball. But given the fact that he led the team in sacks in 2024, it certainly stands to be a pretty devastating loss on paper.
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Fortunately, the Buccaneers defense will get to ease into life without Kancey on the field against an offense that had some serious struggles in Week 2, as they will take on the New York Jets in their Week 3 matchup.
Additionally, the Jets could very well be without their starting quarterback Justin Fields, who is in concussion protocol after taking a hit to the head in their matchup last week against the Buffalo Bills.
For more on the Tampa Bay Buccaneers and all things NFL, head over to Newsweek Sports.