Former NFL Team Physician: Calijah Kancey Could Still Return In 2025
September 17th, 2025
Unfair to compare J.J. Watt’s injury to Calijah Kancey’s?
Multiple outlets and multiple insiders, led by Jordan Schultz, reported yesterday that Bucs defensive tackle Calijah Kancey is done of the year.
Kancey suffered a torn pec in the Bucs’ win over the Steers Monday night in Houston. He is scheduled to have surgery on Friday.
But there is a former NFL team doctor who claims there is still a sliver of hope Kancey could return late this season.
Again, Joe has to preface: The physician in question, former 17-year San Diego Chargers team physician Dr. David Chao, has not seen Kancey’s MRI results or X-rays, has no medical information shared between the Bucs, doctors and Kancey, has never interviewed or had Kancey in for a consultation. Chao is strictly using TV analysis, scant details publicly released by the Bucs and/or Kancey’s agent, and Chao’s personal history dealing with these types of injuries.
Every person and every injury is its own story. But Chao says based on history, the door is not yet closed on Kancey’s 2025 season.
Joe sees where Chao is coming from but it’s possible Watt was a total workout animal and he may have been in much better shape than Kancey at the time of the injury. That is not a knock on Kancey at all. Watt was very much like Tom Brady in that Watt was a maniac for nutrition and fitness.
Joe wouldn’t at all be surprised if Watt said he ate avocado ice cream when he played. He was psychotic about his conditioning.
Joe is confident Watt being able to bounce back in three months had something to do with his intense, disciplined, bordering on maniacal approach to fitness and nutrition.
Reports now confirm surgery but season not definitely over. Remember, @JJWatt returned to play for @HoustonTexans in playoffs in 3 months after surgery. https://t.co/lHK3MO08bd
— David J. Chao – ProFootballDoc (@ProFootballDoc) September 16, 2025
September 17th, 2025 at 12:09 am
What the Bucs will do is wait until next July to see if it heals naturally. Then go for the surgery right as training camp starts.
September 17th, 2025 at 12:34 am
This guy isn’t worth the stress. He’s not Lee Roy Selmon, he’s not Warren Sapp, he’s not Gerald McCoy.
September 17th, 2025 at 12:35 am
Would sure be great to have him at full strength for the entirety of the playoffs. Let’s hope for that!
September 17th, 2025 at 12:37 am
I second what Matt said
September 17th, 2025 at 12:50 am
Depends as much on the grade of injury. Even a minor pec tear is a month on the shelf. Grade 2 without surgery is 3-4+ months, and grade 3 is ‘see you next year’.
Aside from injury grade there’s healing speed. No two players are alike. All the avocado ice cream and psycho-healthy living is meant to keep injuries from happening in the first place. After Brady went with Alex Guerrero and adopted his fitness regimen – 3 years later he still needed 12 months to recover from an ACL tear.
I hope his healing speed is phenomenal, but he reminds me a little of McCoy tearing his biceps in his first two seasons. He tore the right arm one season and the left arm the next. He was called a bust then, but he battled back. Kancey isn’t in McCoy’s class, but he’s got a strong motivation to get back on the field ASAP.
September 17th, 2025 at 1:12 am
CK is a bust.
I wanted Kancey to be the next Sapp. Just like I wanted JTS to be the next JPP. When healthy, CK made 1 play on the year. Move on.
September 17th, 2025 at 1:23 am
omg Joe! that picture is crazy, what does a bloody JJ Watt have to do with kancy’s pec? lol! it was there for attention.
September 17th, 2025 at 2:26 am
And of course remember everyone thinking Vita was done in 2020, only to come back for the game vs that Packers in the NFC Championship game. Lets hope we’re in the same situation this year.
September 17th, 2025 at 3:28 am
He’s not coming back. And even if he could, he’d be in terrible shape.
It’s time to accept the reality. He showed flashes of brilliance but he’s not going to be here this year, and it’s time to stop hoping he will play more than a fraction of a season.
September 17th, 2025 at 3:34 am
Kancey is actually really good when on the field. I’d call him injury prone but not a bust. Usually my definition of a bust is someone who lacks talent. Regardless if he’s here are not this year he’ll be on team for two more years. Buccaneers will definitely pickup his 5th year option cause when healthy he’s worth the money.
September 17th, 2025 at 4:01 am
Whether or not Kancey makes it back for any games this season is obviously pure speculation. Some of us call it HOPE, but like Joe has said before ‘Hope is not a strategy’.
Bucs have already been dealt some major injuries to starters & key rotational players in 2025. But we’ve dealt with them rather successfully thus far, to the point of being 2-0 to start the season. Hasn’t been pretty (that’s being kind), but this team has found a way to git ‘er done.
In looking for Kancey’s replacement, CJ Brewer (6’2″ & 290 lbs) on our Practice Squad has got the most experience in our defense (12 games in 2024). He played quite well IMO: in 160 def snaps last year, CJ got 2 sacks, 3 QB Hits, 3 TFLs, 2 PDs and 12 tackles (7 solo). I’d sure give him the first crack at being Kancey’s replacement for this season.
September 17th, 2025 at 4:45 am
Ryan Smith Says:
“Buccaneers will definitely pickup his 5th year option cause when healthy he’s worth the money.”
Yea – I’m not so sure about that… In fact – I’m guessing the Bucs won’t pick up Kancey’s 5th year option…. which would be about $14-15M – and fully guaranteed no matter what….
They will let him play out the 4th year of his rookie contract and then decide whether to throw big money Calijah’s way in spring of 2027 or let him walk in free agency.
You can’t help the club from the tub – and Kancey through his first 3 years will have missed almost HALF of all the games he would have played in if healthy.
September 17th, 2025 at 4:46 am
Agreed DR – Brewer is the “next man up”.
I do wonder if they will kick the tires on bringing Gholston back.
September 17th, 2025 at 5:48 am
Bucs need to move from the CK experiment. The guy is injury prone and not available to play. Bring Gholston back on the practice squad.
September 17th, 2025 at 6:29 am
Kancey is done as far as I’m concerned. He’ll never get a 2nd contract with the Bucs. He better start saving his pennies.
September 17th, 2025 at 7:47 am
I don’t think anyone at One Buc is relying on Chao’s opinion. Best case he gets back for two or three regular season games? Nah
Go Bucs!
September 17th, 2025 at 8:25 am
I feel for Kancey. It’s not for lack of trying. Bad luck.
September 17th, 2025 at 8:33 am
Christian Wilkins
September 17th, 2025 at 8:48 am
Chao was correct on ex Bucs:
1. like JPP — say that the neck fracture was non displaced and eventually would be able to return to football with no future exacerbations.
2. like Noah Spence — not being effective after his 2nd labrum tear.
September 17th, 2025 at 9:06 am
FYI for the nutrition piece… avocados won’t heal much of anything, collagen will. Red meat is full of collagen, there isn’t a vegetable or fruit on the planet that has ANY collagen in it. Kudos to Brady for having a long great career, but his diet didn’t have that much to do with it. Besides that, he played a position where he barely had to run, rarely got hit, and almost never had to out athlete someone. A diet rich in meat, fat, protein, mixed with effective and zealous rehab, will get somebody to heal faster… not the Brady diet…. and definitely not avocados.
September 17th, 2025 at 9:17 am
come back for the playoff run, gives a chance for logan hall and Elijah Roberts to do their thing if they got what it takes.
September 17th, 2025 at 9:20 am
Who’s Chao and what has he got to do with Bucs? Agree with Sly Pirate and Pickgrin.
September 17th, 2025 at 9:28 am
Joe wasn’t clear in the post who Chao is?
September 17th, 2025 at 9:50 am
Dude is made of glass and quite frankly never took over a game. He’s good, not great. Maybe one year he can go injury free but his play is a small sample size.