A lot of different Tampa Bay Buccaneers have received plenty of attention over the last few months.

Rookies Rueben Bain Jr., Josiah Trotter, and Ted Hurst have all taken turns being in the spotlight. Bain has looked like a future superstar and is the favorite to win Defensive Rookie of the Year. Trotter has been extremely impressive since training camp started, fulfilling the organization's high expectations. Hurst's brilliant play in practice has started earning him comparisons to Mike Evans.

Baker Mayfield and Vita Vea each had contract disputes with the team that dominated headlines for weeks. Vea's was eventually resolved. Mayfield's was not, ensuring it will be a hot-button topic throughout the season.

Several of the Bucs' free-agent signings, including Alex Anzalone, A'Shawn Robinson, and Kenneth Gainwell, have gotten plenty of attention.

One player who has barely been talked about this offseason, for whatever reason, is defensive tackle Calijah Kancey.

A torn pec cost Kancey almost all of the 2025 season, his third with the Bucs. Before that, Kancey looked like the future of Tampa's defense and was drawing comparisons to the great Aaron Donald, who recently came out of retirement for the Los Angeles Rams.

Though he had also dealt with injuries over his first two seasons, Kancey was earning a reputation as one of the league's rising defensive stars.

Now, Kancey seems to be flying under the radar more than any player with his talent ever should.

Not any longer.

Ben Solak of ESPN picked one player from each of the 32 NFL teams as his team's X-factor for 2026. For the Bucs, Solak chose Kancey.

Solak was quick to explain just how important Kancey was to Tampa, and how his absence was felt throughout the defense. He also notes that the upgrades the Bucs made to their defense this offseason will free up Kancey to wreak even more havoc from the interior.

 "Remember Kancey? The Buccaneers' 2023 first-round pick was the perfect running mate for Vita Vea through his first two seasons as a pro. Quick as a wink but still sturdy against the run, Kancey's upfield penetration was a featured piece of Todd Bowles' movement-heavy defensive front. When he was injured last season in Week 2 and absent every game until Week 18, the lack of pop in the Buccaneers' pass rush was palpable.

"In 2024, Kancey was 15th among all defensive tackles in pressure rate (via Next Gen Stats), just behind Vea. But it's not about how often he won -- it's how he won. He was sixth in get-off, a measure of how quickly he got across the line. His time to pressure was 2.77 seconds (average for defensive tackles is 3.05, a big gap). Kancey is a quick winner who can make life easier on the rest of his defensive line. He's a ceiling-raiser -- if healthy.

"The Buccaneers have invested heavily at all three levels of their defense. Rueben Bain Jr. is now the featured edge in a defensive end room that's also seeing David Walker (2025 fourth-rounder) return from injury. Elijah Roberts, who broke out in Kancey's absence last year, enters Year 2 as a valuable inside/out rusher. If Kancey can have the same impact on the defense that he had before, but with a deeper and more talented room, the Buccaneers' pass rush can suddenly flip from a weakness to a strength -- and with it, the entire defense."

Tampa's defense should be greatly improved this season compared to a year ago. Kancey's return will provide a huge boost to the pass rush. A front four of Bain, Kancey, Vea, and YaYa Diaby has the potential to be one of the best in the NFL.

Kancey's return from injury hasn't gotten anywhere near the attention it deserves.

Now that he is back, it should have a tremendous effect on the entire defense. If Kancey can be the same player he was in his first two seasons, Tampa's pass rush will be greatly improved. It will also make life easier for everyone in the secondary.

Now entering his fourth year, Kancey will have an opportunity to remind everybody just how dominant a force he can be in the middle of Tampa's defensive line. Having him back will greatly help the Bucs return to the top of the NFC South and get back to the playoffs.