Need to keep Calijah Kancey out of street clothes and in a Bucs uniform.

The Bucs front-seven was so rotten last year, there were too many ways to count.

People used to rag on Jamel Dean for missing playing time. But goodness gracious, Dean was an iron horse compared to Calijah Kancey.

Since being drafted in 2023, Kancey has played in 26 of 51 regular-season games (56 percent). That’s not good by any standard.

The sad thing is, when Kancey is healthy and after he gets a couple of games under his belt, the guy is a force on the inside, especially when going after quarterbacks.

But as the old saying goes, you can’t help the club when you’re in the tub. Joe does know this malady of not staying healthy really bothers Kancey. So it’s not like he’s Myron Lewis and looking to get hurt to still cash Team Glazer checks without earning them.

The Bucs made a big effort in beefing up the front-seven this offseason. At underwear football practice last week, Bowles was asked what sort of an impact Kancey could make if he finds a way to stay on the field.

“He can be huge for us if he stays healthy,” Bowles said. “Obviously, he’s very fast and quick and gives us an element we don’t have with the size of Vita [Vea] and A’Shawn [Robinson] and those guys.

“Kancey gives us an interior pass rush presence. We just got to keep him healthy.”

Kancey gave folks a glimpse of what he can do in 2024. Kancey, playing defensive tackle/left defensive end, had 7.5 sacks in 12.5 games. Coming from an interior guy, that’s pretty damn good.

Joe is starting to wonder if putting Kancey in a rotation might extend his shelf life. No, you really don’t want a former first-round pick to be in a rotation.

But dang it, the Bucs need Kancey to stay healthy. Perhaps limiting his snaps will also limit his chances of getting hurt. Having Kancey on the field for half a game each week is better than not having Kancey for several games in a row?

Having Kancey on the field some of the time is a whole lot better than having him on the field none of the time.