In particular, the Bucs are hoping that starting Diaby and Bain together will give them a duo that will be difficult for opposing lines to contain. So far, they have only played six defensive game snaps together, with the Bucs only giving very limited preseason time to their starters, but even in that small sample size Diaby got a feel for how it is going to play out.
“Those quick two series, man, just seeing how we were already meeting at the quarterback, I know it’s going to be a fight this season, who’s going to get there first,” he said. “Then with the interior guys as well.”
As for Kancey and what he could do to create opportunities for Diaby and others, suffice it to say that Diaby is excited about the possibilities. When he mentioned a competition between himself and Bain for the Bucs’ sack lead in 2026, he threw Kancey into the equation as well, especially if the latter defender meets his goal of playing a full schedule for the first time in his young career.
“He’s been getting after it, getting back to his flow,” said Diaby of Kancey, who missed all but three games last season due to a pectoral injury. “Every time he comes off the field, we both ask each other, ‘How is practice going? How are you feeling?’ He’s been moving really good, and that’s all I’m praying for, for him to get all 17 games in. I know if he gets all 17 games he’s going to be in the race with me and Rueben and the other guys.”
Diaby’s 19.0 sacks over the past three seasons are the most for any Buccaneer player in that span, but he may still just be scratching the surface. Head Coach Todd Bowles sees a player primed to take another step forward.
“I think he’s really grown in getting the scheme down and understanding what he has to do and how to play,” said Bowles. “In doing so, understanding the defense and then talking to the other guys, knowing that the pass rush has to work together. It’s not just him out on the edge trying to get a sack right there. It’s him and Bain talking to each other, as well as him and Kancey and Vita [Vea], as far as setting each other up. And that part of his game has really grown.”