Calijah Kancey's highly anticipated NFL debut has proven disappointingly short-lived. The Tampa Bay Buccaneers defensive lineman re-aggravated a calf injury in his team's season-opening matchup with the Minnesota Vikings and has been ruled out for the game's remainder.

Kancey missed most of training camp and didn't play in any of Tampa Bay's exhibition games after suffering a calf strain on July 30th. He only returned to practice for the first time on Thursday, leading head coach Todd Bowles to express indecision on the rookie's status for Week 1.

“He still has a chance to play,” Bowles said Kancey, per Rick Stroud of the Tampa Bay Times. “We’re not ruling him out.”

The Bucs selected Kancey with the the No. 19 overall pick of the 2023 NFL Draft following his standout four-year tenure at the University of Pittsburgh. Kancey finished last season with 7.5 sacks, 14.5 tackles for loss and 31 total tackles, earning ACC Defensive Player of the Year and unanimous First Team All-American honors at defensive tackle.

The 22-year-old's draft stock blew up at the NFL scouting combine in February. Measuring 6'1, 281 pounds, Kancey blazed to a 4.67 40-yard dash in Indianapolis, the fastest time for a defensive tackle in 20 years—and .01 seconds lower than Aaron Donald's mark in 2014.

Kancey has been projected to play a similarly versatile role as Donald does with the Los Angeles Rams. Playing next to stalwart nose tackle Vita Vea, the Bucs hope Kancey ‘s burst and athleticism could form a devastating interior tandem on Tampa's defensive line.

Here's hoping his calf injury doesn't keep Kancey out for an extended period.