There are many reasons why the 4-6 Bucs are struggling and have lost four in a row, but don’t count defensive tackle Kariyah Kancey as one of them. Since the slow start to the season, he has been able to pick up where he left off last year.
Some supporting data may not match that assessment. This year, his pressure rate has dropped from an incredible 10.16% last year to 7.59%. his pro football focus This year’s pass rush win rate is just 7.2%. That ranks only 46th out of 68 Interior Defensive Linemen with at least as much pass rush as him. Last year’s pass rush win rate of 9.5% was 20th overall.
Kanshi’s pressure numbers may be going down. But that’s not because he’s underperforming.
Kaliya Kanshi is still a 1v1 monster
Kaliyah Kansi has been the Bucs’ best pass rusher this year when given the opportunity to rush the passer in one-on-one situations. And his talent gives him one of the highest ceilings in the league. Cuncey already has four sacks in five games. He currently ranks second on the team in this area despite only playing in half of Tampa Bay’s games.
.@Buccaneers @Chancey8 This sack fumble happens, the ball gets loose… it’s a race to the ball, and that could decide the outcome. @JAUANJENN1NG5 Make the biggest play in this game. #BaldysBreakdowns pic.twitter.com/DxceucM7bM
— Brian Baldinger (@BaldyNFL) November 11, 2024
Bucks DT Kariyah Kansi – Photo by Cliff Welch/PR
What sets him apart from other pass rushers on the team is the former first-round pick’s incredible use of his hands. Kangshi, who is small and has short arms,’s biggest enemy is when his opponent will make a move on him. With his lightning quickness, he prevents this from happening again and again. With swipes and slaps, combined with a quick launch off the line, Kanshi is able to quickly reach advantageous angles.
And where he really shines is when he makes that final move that completely evades contact from blockers. This is what makes the real difference between his pressure and that of teammate Yahya Diaby. While many, myself included, tout pressure rating as a consistent measure of a pass rusher’s potential and consistent winning ability, I’d like to see something a little more impactful.
There are three types of pressure recorded.
Sack has a good reputation. A quarterback hit refers to a pass rusher being able to make contact with the quarterback during the course of a pass rush, even if the hit does not result in a sack. A rush is when a pass rush forces the quarterback to move away from the process or spot to get rid of the ball.
If we eliminate rushing situations and look at how much impact a pass rusher has on the quarterback through contact or hits and sacks with Cuncie, Cuncie’s success rate is 4.1% compared to Diaby’s share is 3.1%.
Bucks need to find an opportunity for Kariya Kanshi
Three-technique Kariya Kanshi often has to parse through large amounts of traffic on her way to the quarterback. It also makes it easier for the offensive line to run slides and bring in additional resources. While Kancey isn’t a true edge rusher, he still has some really impressive wins with his outside rush.
The Bucks were matchup hunting for Kariya Kanshi in Week 6 against the Saints.
I hope to see them do more of this in the future. pic.twitter.com/HZ1lW1q6cH
— Joshua Quaipo (@josh_queipo) November 17, 2024
By giving Kancey an edge, it becomes more difficult for the offense to push additional resources onto him without taking away eligible players from the pass progression. The Lions did this effectively earlier this year with their best defensive end, Aidan Hutchinson. Detroit puts Hutchinson alone on one side of the line and pushes all the other linemen to the other side of the line, isolating him into one-on-one matchups and giving him room to work both inside and outside. Masu.
Aidan Hutchinson’s spin move has quickly become one of the better iterations of the move we’ve seen over the past few years. Very similar to Everson Griffen’s version. pic.twitter.com/8ncFlhFwWC
— Brandon Thorn (@BrandonThornNFL) January 10, 2024
Like the mindset that isolates pass rushers. I’d like to see a player with more high-end talent appear than Anthony Nelson. pic.twitter.com/qfyghlVFPe
— Joshua Quaipo (@josh_queipo) November 17, 2024
Devoted to Kaliya Kanshi
Bucs DT Vita Vea, Calijah Kancey, Logan Hall – Photo by Cliff Welch/PR
Head coach Todd Bowles is known for having two key pieces in particular when building defenses. He uses a lot of stunts/loops/games and throws a lot of electricity.
In doing so, he emphasizes communication among the offensive line. At the same time, in these games, Kariya Kanshi is often asked to play a role that creates opportunities for other players. And if these stunts aren’t properly combined with blitzes, Bowles’ pass rushers can often end up blocking themselves.
Whether by design or poor practice, there were multiple instances this year where Tampa Bay’s pass rushers ended up attacking the same gap. Some of those examples are designed to draw multiple blockers to one point and open up other gaps for free runners. But in many cases this is not the case. There are no free runners trying to catch the spring.
Coming off this week’s bye week, Bowles needs to bring the best ideas of his illustrious career to the table. He didn’t become stupid overnight. Bowles has been one of the best defensive minds in football over the past 15 years. For a player as smart as Bowles, he has to understand one of the best paths to getting his defense back. From the brink is creating as many favorable matchups as possible against his best pass rusher while also reducing the number of times he has to nullify a pass rusher with multiple non-layered single-gap rushers.
The Bucs’ defense is talented, and Cunce is one of the most talented players on that defense. Putting him in the best position for success should be one of his top priorities in the second half of the season.
