The Buccaneers exercised the fifth-year option on Kancey's contract Monday, Scott Smith of the team's official site reports.
Kancey was sidelined for most of the 2025 season due to a pectoral injury he suffered in Week 2, but the defensive tackle's output has been more than satisfactory for the Buccaneers to justify spending the $14.475 million required to retain him through 2027. The 2023 first-round pick has accumulated 54 tackles (41 solo), including 11.5 sacks, through 29 career regular-season games thus far. With the team selecting linebacker Rueben Bain in the first round of the 2026 NFL Draft, the Bucs will be acquiring an influx of talent on the defensive line that should only increase Kancey's potential for production this season.
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Buccaneers' DeMonte Capehart: Nabbed by Buccaneers
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The Buccaneers selected Capehart in the fifth round of the 2026 NFL Draft, 155th overall.
Capehart boasts an ample frame (6-foot-5, 313 pounds) and played 1-technique at Clemson, so there is some potential here for Capehart to develop, but he wasn't a full-time starter in college. The Bucs are taking a lottery ticket on a guy with plenty of potential. However, after racking up 21 tackles and 3.0 sacks as a senior, Capehart will likely require some development.
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Buccaneers' Keionte Scott: Taken by Tampa Bay
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The Buccaneers selected Scott in the fourth round of the 2026 NFL Draft, 116th overall.
Scott will turn 25 years old prior to the start of the regular season and boasts the experience necessary to hit the ground running as a rookie, making him a candidate to carve out a rotational role in Tampa Bay's secondary early. After beginning his collegiate career at the junior college level, Scott transferred Auburn, where he handled a versatile role split between the slot and outside corner spots from 2022-24. In his sole year with Miami, he truly broke out as an aggressive hybrid nickel, totaling a career-best 64 tackles, including 13 tackles for a loss, 5.0 sacks and two forced fumbles, plus seven passes defensed including two interceptions. He'll likely spend the offseason competing to carve out a rotational role behind 2025 third-round pick Jacob Parrish, who was productive as the Buccaneers' top slot corner in his rookie year.
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Anthony Walker: Announces retirement
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Walker announced his retirement from the NFL via his personal Instagram account Thursday.
Walker will call it quits after nine seasons with the Colts, Browns, Dolphins and Buccaneers. The linebacker exceeded 100 total tackles in an individual season three times during his career, compiling 581 total takedowns (362 solo), including 5.5 sacks, over 101 regular-season games. The Northwestern product also added 21 passes defensed, including four interceptions, two forced fumbles and four fumble recoveries during his time in the NFL.
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Lavonte David: Opts for retirement
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The Buccaneers announced David's retirement from the NFL on Tuesday.
A second-round pick in 2012, David was a model of consistency over 14 seasons in Tampa Bay, missing only 14 games and reaching the 100-tackle threshold 12 times while being named an All-Pro on three occasions. His overall contributions are Hall of Fame-worthy, but he'll have to wait the minimum five years before such an honor will be under consideration.
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Eagles' J.T. Gray: Inks deal with Philly
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The Eagles signed Gray to a one-year contract Friday, Ian Rapoport of NFL Network reports.
Gray spent his first seven seasons with the Saints and was selected to the Pro Bowl and named a first-team All-Pro as a special-teams ace in 2021. He was a second-team All-Pro twice. Gray was released ahead of Week 1 last summer and spent the 2025 campaign bouncing around the league with the Ravens, Broncos and Bucs, appearing in just five regular-season contests.
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Patriots' Kindle Vildor: Signing with Patriots
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Vildor is set to sign a one-year deal with the Patriots, Adam Schefter of ESPN reports.
Vildor, who entered the NFL as a fifth-round pick by the Bears, recorded 16 tackles and a pick in 12 regular-season games with the Buccaneers in 2025. In joining the Patriots, the 28-year-old will reunite with head coach Mike Vrabel, who Vildor worked with in 2023 while both were with the Titans. In his latest locale, the 5-foot-11, 189-pounder will offer cornerback depth and special teams experience.
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Lions' Christian Izien: Inks deal with Detroit
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Izien signed a contract with the Lions on Friday.
The terms of the deal are yet to be announced, but Izien will head to Detroit after calling Tampa Bay his home for the last three seasons. He played a prominent role in the Buccaneers' defense in 2023 and 2024 but saw his snaps on defense dip in 2025, finishing with 25 tackles (16 solo) and one forced fumble across 14 regular-season games. Izien will look to earn an expanded role on defense with the Lions, and he could get some starts early in 2026 season if one or both of Brian Branch (Achilles) and Kerby Joseph (knee) are not available.
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Texans' Logan Hall: Headed to Houston
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Hall is slated to sign a two-year contract with the Texans, Jeremy Fowler of ESPN reports.
Hall spent the first four seasons of his career with the Buccaneers, where he compiled 10.0 sacks across 66 regular-season games. The 25-year-old will likely serve as one of Houston's top rotational options at defensive end behind Will Anderson and Danielle Hunter during the upcoming campaign.
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Buccaneers' Lavonte David: Tampa or bust
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David (knee), through his agent, has relayed that he will either play for the Buccaneers in 2026 or retire, Rick Stroud of the Tampa Bay Times reports.
David recently underwent surgery to clean up his knee and is debating retirement. If he does decide to play in 2026, it will only be for the organization that selected him in the second round of the 2012 NFL Draft. David is expected to make a decision on his future soon.
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Steelers' Jamel Dean: Agrees to three-year deal with PIT
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Dean (shoulder) agreed to a three-year, $36.75 million contract with the Steelers on Monday, Ian Rapoport of NFL Network reports.
Dean has recovered from a shoulder injury that sidelined him down the stretch in 2025, so he shouldn't have trouble passing a physical to make his contract with Pittsburgh official when the new league year begins Wednesday. Prior to getting hurt, the 29-year-old cornerback set a new career high with three interceptions in 14 games during the 2025 season. He has 61 passes defensed in 96 regular-season games (77 starts), all with the Buccaneers.
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Buccaneers' Christian Izien: Not tendered by Tampa Bay
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The Bucs will not extend a restricted free agent tender to Izien prior to the start of the new league year next Wednesday, Jeremy Fowler of ESPN.com reports.
Izien, therefore, will be allowed to become an unrestricted free agent. The 25-year-old has appeared in 45 regular-season games for the Bucs over the last three seasons, logging 165 tackles (111 solo), five pass breakups, including three interceptions, and three forced fumbles.
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Buccaneers' Benjamin Morrison: Leg issues shorten rookie season
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Morrison totaled 26 tackles (19 solo), four defensed passes and one fumble recovery across 10 regular-season games in 2025.
Morrison's NFL debut was delayed until Week 2 due to a quadriceps injury, while hamstring issues, which also wiped out his entire preseason, cost him another five games. The 2025 second-round pick did get back on the field for the last three games of the regular season after his final set of absences, finishing in solid form with 13 tackles (eight solo), a pass defensed and a fumble recovery in that span. With a healthy offseason and preseason, Morrison could certainly make a push for a much larger role in 2026 after averaging 35.9 defensive snaps per contest as a rookie.
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Buccaneers' Vita Vea: Workload boost in '25 season
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Vea recorded 34 tackles (16 solo), including 4.5 sacks, two defensed passes and one fumble recovery across 17 regular-season games in 2025.
The mammoth defensive tackle logged a whopping 760 snaps on defense while playing a full season's worth of games for the first time since 2019. Vea still saw a drop in his sack production after recording a career-high 7.0 QB takedowns in 2024, while his tackle tally was also his lowest over the last three seasons. Nevertheless, Vea remained a key cog on the Buccaneers' defensive front, and he remains under contract through the 2026 season at a cap hit of $22.2 million, per Spotrac.
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Buccaneers' Anthony Nelson: Solid again in complementary role
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Nelson (knee) recorded 38 tackles (21 solo), including 3.0 sacks, two defensed passes, including a pick-six, and two forced fumbles across 15 regular-season games in 2025.
The veteran extended his streak of seasons with multiple sacks to five while also recording a defensive touchdown for the first time in his career in Week 8 against the Saints. Nelson's 385-snap tally on defense was his lowest since 2021, although that's largely explained by the fact he missed the last two games of the season due to his knee injury. Nelson is committed to the Buccaneers through the 2026 season, and he's projected to continue filling his customary rotational role during his contract year.
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Buccaneers' Haason Reddick: Second straight modest season
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Reddick recorded 31 tackles (18 solo) including 2.5 sacks, one pass defensed and one forced fumble across 13 regular-season games in 2025.
Reddick arrived in Tampa Bay last offseason on a one-year, $14 million deal in hopes of putting a mostly forgettable 2024 with the Jets behind him. However, the veteran pass rusher put together a second consecutive lackluster campaign, and he missed four games due to knee and ankle injuries. Set to turn 32 early in the 2026 season, it remains to be seen whether Reddick will be welcomed back to the Buccaneers at a reduced salary, or whether another team will be convinced it can coax another double-digit sack season out of the 2017 first-round pick.
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Buccaneers' Logan Hall: Career-high tackle total in '25
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Hall recorded 39 tackles (18 solo) including 1.5 sacks, one pass defended and one forced fumble across 17 regular-season games in 2025.
The fourth-year defensive end played a career-high 609 snaps on defense, leading to a new high-water mark in tackles. Hall played at least 51.0 percent of the defensive snaps in 14 of 17 games while operating as the starting right DE, but he disappointingly regressed in terms of getting to the quarterback after posting a career-best 5.5 sacks in 2024. Nevertheless, he has proven to be a durable rotational player, missing just two regular-season games in his career, so he could attract interest on the open market.
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Buccaneers' Jamel Dean: Solid production in contract year
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Dean (shoulder) recorded 46 tackles (38 solo) with 1.0 sacks, nine passes defended including three interceptions, one of which was a pick-six, and two forced fumbles across 14 regular-season games in 2025.
Dean put together a career-high INT total in a contract year, holding down the starting job at left cornerback whenever he was healthy. The veteran defensive back is still only 29 years old and should garner plenty of interest on the open market if he and the Buccaneers don't come to an agreement on an extension.
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Buccaneers' David Walker: Should be healthy by training camp
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Buccaneers general manager Jason Licht said Tuesday that Walker (knee) is expected to be healthy for the start of training camp, Greg Auman of Fox Sports reports.
After being selected by Tampa Bay in the fourth round of last April's NFL Draft, Walker missed all of his would-be rookie campaign due to a torn ACL. It sounds like he's progressed well in his recovery, but Licht's comments don't make it clear if Walker will be able to participate in OTAs. Regardless, the Central Arkansas product is in line to make his NFL debut in 2026 and could serve in a key rotational role.
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Buccaneers' Antoine Winfield: Another productive season in '25
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Winfield registered 93 tackles (53 solo), including 1.0 sacks, eight defensed passes, including two interceptions, a forced fumble and a fumble recovery across 17 games during the 2025 regular season.
It was another season of across-the-board IDP production for the veteran safety, who tied the second-highest snap count of his career (1,034) and got back on the board in the interception column after going without a pick for the first time in his career during an injury-shortened 2024 campaign. Winfield's tackle total was the third highest of his career, while his eight pass breakups were second only to the 12 he compiled in the other 17-game season of his NFL tenure to date, the 2023 campaign. He'll once again slot into the starting strong safety role in 2026 as one of the leaders of a talented Buccaneers defense.
