Age at the Start of the 2026 Season: 28
Experience: Entering fifth NFL season
How Acquired: Drafted in the sixth round (218th overall) of the 2022 NFL Draft out of Minnesota. The Buccaneers traded two seventh-round picks (numbers 235 and 261) to the Los Angeles Rams to get the pick used to select Kieft.
Previous Contract(s): In 2022, Kieft signed the standard four-year contract that all players drafted in Rounds 2-7 receive, a pact he completed in 2025.
Rank in Pro Football Focus **Top 250 NFL Free Agents** for 2026: 181st
2025 Performance: As noted, Kieft’s play this past season didn’t last far into the season. He suffered the leg fracture while blocking on an offensive play with 3:17 left in the Week Three contest against the Jets. He walked off the field on his own and remained on the sideline, pacing and reportedly asking to re-enter the game, until it’s conclusion.
Prior to the injury, Kieft had already contributed two tackles in kick coverage against the Jets while playing 75% of the team’s 32 special teams snaps. He finished his 2025 season with three tackles in three games. Overall, Kieft was on the field for 14% of the team’s offensive snaps in those three games, while also being one of the team’s busiest special-teamers with 77% of the snaps.
Career Accomplishments: Prior to last season, Kieft had been a consistent presence on the field for the Buccaneers, missing just one of 51 games over his first three years with the team and logging a total of 19 starts. The majority of his pass-catching production so far came during his rookie campaign, when he started 12 games and caught seven passes on 10 targets for 80 yards and a touchdown. Five of his seven receptions that season produced first downs.
That 2022 season was also the one in which Kieft had his largest role on offense, logging 265 snaps. He had another 207 offensive snaps in 2023 and caught one pass, though that one reception did produce a touchdown. Kieft’s special teams play percentage never dipped below 60% in any of his four seasons. He has also produced 24 kick-coverage tackles in that span, with a career-high 11 stops as a rookie.
Other Potential Free Agent Interior Defensive Linemen: Kyle Pitts (Falcons), Dallas Goedert (Eagles), Isaiah Likely (Ravens), David Njoku (Browns), Travis Kelce (Chiefs), Chig Okonkwo (Titans), Darren Waller (Dolphins), Austin Hooper (Patriots), Charlie Kolar (Ravens), Tyler Higbee (Rams), Noah Fant (Bengals), Zach Ertz (Commanders), Foster Moreau (Saints)
Top Interior Defensive Line Prospects in 2026 NFL Draft: Kenyon Sadiq (Oregon), Eli Stowers (Vanderbilt), Max Klare (Ohio State), Jack Endries (Texas), Michael Trigg (Baylor), Justin Joly (North Carolina State), Sam Roush (Stanford), Marlin Klein (Michigan), Josh Cuevas (Alabama), Nate Boerkircher (Texas A&M), Joe Royer (Cincinnati), Eli Raridon (Notre Dame)