Buccaneers defensive linemen Calijah Kancey and Logan Hall face very different expectations heading into training camp.
The Buccaneers’ efforts to reload their defensive line over the last few years have been met with mixed results. Their top picks from their previous two drafts, Calijah Kancey and Logan Hall, appear to be on tracks heading in opposite directions. This year’s training camp will be a chance for Kancey to grow from a promising rookie season while Hall is potentially facing a last chance to prove he is not a bust.
Kancey got off to a rough start last year, suffering a calf injury that robbed him of most of camp and the preseason as well as lingering through the first quarter of the regular season. When he did return, Kancey challenged the rest of the rookie tackle class to be the most disruptive pass rusher in the group, recording four sacks and 45 total pressures.
The biggest goal for Kancey in this year’s camp is to just stay healthy. After finishing the season with his best two performances coming in the playoffs, Kancey could be primed for a leap into the broader discussion of the top interior pass rushers in the NFL.
There will be expectations for Kancey to also make improvements in run support, an area where consistency was an issue last year. While he led all rookie defensive linemen with 10 tackles for a loss, he was often getting pushed around in the trenches, a consequence of his lighter frame.
Logan Hall faces a much different scenario. After he was taken with the Bucs’ first pick in the 2022 draft at the top of the second round, Hall has done little to prove worthy of his draft position. In two seasons, Hall has just 35 total pressures including three sacks while also proving to be a liability in run defense himself.
Hall’s improvement from his rookie season to last year was marginal, and it was clear that Kancey, even with his slow start, was a more effective and disruptive player than Hall. This year’s camp could be Hall’s last opportunity to prove he is deserving of significant snaps in Tampa Bay’s defensive line rotation.
It does not matter if Hall makes a leap as a pass rusher or run defender. A marked improvement at either would extend his future in Tampa Bay.
Vita Vea returns to Bucs training camp facing his own questions about his own future. Though he played the most snaps since 2019, Vea is rapidly approaching an age when many lineman lose their explosiveness. He apparently anticipated this and has shed some weight this offseason working out with former Bucs DT Ndamukong Suh.
A lighter, faster Vea could have a wide range of effects, from a more potent pass rush to a less stout run defense. It will be hard to tell until the regular season.
The Bucs brought back veteran DT Greg Gaines, who was an adequate rotational player last season. Also returning is the Bucs’ second-longest tenured player, Will Gholston. Both are all but assured to make the final roster.
Tampa Bay ordinarily carry six defensive linemen during the season so there is one last spot up for grabs. Third-year DL Mike Greene is in pole position as he is the only remaining lineman with actual NFL experience. However, Greene’s roster spot is not assured as his performance last year was less than memorable, recording just four pressures while missing 28.6% of his tackles.
Greene’s competition is comprised of fellow undrafted prospects who, like Greene, have spent nearly all of their time in the NFL on a practice squad. The lone rookie in the bunch is Judge Culpepper, son of former Bucs DT Brad Culpepper. Despite his pedigree, Culpepper is a long-shot to make the final roster and is more likely destined for the practice squad.
