FAB 3. Kenney In A Rush To Make Bucs Roster

Bucs rookie outside linebacker David Kenney stands alone on the team’s 90-man roster for one glaring reason.

It’s been three years since he last put on a pair of shoulder pads and played football.

Kenney may be the longest of longshots in Tampa Bay right now, but don’t count him out. He’s worked too hard to get this opportunity to pull a training camp upset and win a roster spot.

But there was a time when Kenney didn’t work as hard. And that’s where his story begins – at the University of Indiana. As a 6-foot-2, 272-pound defensive end, Kenney played as a true freshman in 2013, but only recorded just nine tackles and no sacks.

Academic struggles caused him to leave after one year and go to Division I-AA Illinois State where he played during the 2015 season and notched 11 games and one sack in seven games. Kenney failed to qualify academically the next season, but landed at Division II school Grand Valley State where he had a partial scholarship offer, but didn’t have enough money to fund his entire tuition so he couldn’t play during the 2017 season and his five-year NCAA eligibility window closed.

Yet Kenney still wanted to play football and aspired to make it in the NFL as a pass rusher with just a few minutes of highlight-worthy college tape and just one college sack to his credit. He knew he needed some help and found it in an unlikely ally.

“My dad coached football for a long time, so I know how to play,” Kenney said. “He coached for the Giants and the Colts. He was a D-line coach, actually. Everything I got I learned from him. From age five up until now we do snap counts and work on get off on movement, so I want to credit him. But I’ve recently been working with former Colts defensive end Robert Mathis at Gridiron Gang.

“I met Robert last July. He came to my high school and he worked with me for two hours. He liked me from the jump from hearing my story. It was an in-between period and I was training and he was still on the Colts staff. I sent videos of myself to the Colts staff for seven months – four to five times per week. So they were going to give me a tryout last year, but it was late in the process and me getting a spot in camp at that time was pretty tight. It wasn’t possible. So I had to wait until the end of the season to get a tryout. That’s really when I went to train with Robert.”

The 6-foot-2, 245-pound Mathis was an undersized pass rusher from a small school – he was a fifth-round draft pick out of Alabama A&M in 2003 – and found in a kindred spirit in Kenney, who had a similar underdog story and a similar build at 6-foot-2, 250 pounds. In working with him, Mathis, who racked up 123 sacks in 14-year career as a defensive end and outside linebacker, found out that Kenney had a similar uncanny get-off and cat-like quick first step.

“I didn’t have any money to train at the facility, which was like $400 per month,” Kenney said. “He helped me pay for it and told me to just keep showing up. I showed up religiously six to seven times per week to work out. I know I probably annoyed him because I texted him all the time wanting to get some work in. As soon as I saw my hard work pay off I just wanted more of it.”

Kenney credits Mathis for helping him get a shot with the Buccaneers, as Mathis and head coach Bruce Arians know each other from their time together in Indianapolis during the 2012 season. The next year, Mathis had a career year with 19.5 sacks and 10 forced fumbles and a safety, while making his fifth Pro Bowl and being named first-team All-Pro at the age of 32.

When Kenney got the invitation to try out for the Bucs’ rookie mini-camp in May,

Mathis’ advice to Kenney was simple.

“Punch the clock and outwork everybody, point blank, period,” Mathis told The Athletic’s Greg Auman. “In the classroom, you learn all that you can so you can play as fast as you can. Once you’re on the field, you outwork everybody, even if it causes you to pass out every day at practice. All your chips are in. There’s no ‘maybe next year’ for him. Do it right now. My favorite saying is: ‘Now you have your foot in the door. Kick the damn door off the hinges, so they can’t close it.’

“He is not going to be stopped from getting his dream. Now you’ve got a baby wolf on your hands.”

Kenney made an instant impact as an outside linebacker during the rookie mini-camp, whipping around right tackles like they were standing still. It was hard to tell who was more excited about Kenney’s performance, the Bucs coaches or the scouts. Kenney was signed to the 90-man training camp roster and performed well in the OTAs and mandatory mini-camp.

“Skill level-wise it hasn’t really been that tough,” Kenney said. “From playing against the No. 2s and playing against the No. 1 offensive linemen – they are the vets, so they aren’t going for the easy moves. They are a lot harder to go against. Going against the No. 2 offensive linemen, I have a better feel against them just because I haven’t played football in three years. For me to even be out here and to compete at a high level is a blessing to still have a natural ability, to be honest with you.”

Tampa Bay will be running two training camp practices simultaneously under Arians, and Kenney will be looking for more opportunities to move up from the Bucs’ junior varsity field to go against the starters on the team’s varsity field. He’s found more allies in Tampa Bay.

“Me and Noah and Shaq Barrett are all the same size and those guys have taken me under their wing,” Kenney said. “One my teammates at Illinois State was actually one of Noah’s teammates at Ohio State.”

Jason Pierre-Paul’s neck injury opens up a roster spot for another outside pass rusher. Carl Nassib, Barrett and rookie Anthony Nelson appear to be locks to make the team, and Spence, a former second-round pick in 2016, will be given every opportunity to make the 53-man roster as well. There could be room for another outside linebacker, and Kenney wants to claim that spot.

He spent the summer back in Indianapolis training with Mathis to prepare for the chance to realize his NFL dream.

“The scheme is great but the only thing I’m struggling with is the coverages,” Kenney said. “It’s not just dropping into the curl or the seam. It’s so confusing to me. Just being able to stand up and have vision and see everything, but I’ve just got to figure out the drops. I know I can rush the passer, and I’m pretty hungry.

“There are a lot of hungry guys here, but a lot of these guys have been paid. So when there are optional lifts I’m going to go to those lifts. I wasn’t just an undrafted free agent – I was a tryout guy. I want to keep doing the same stuff that got me here, which is stretching after practice, rehabbing and resting when I need to be resting. The last mini-camp practice I was dealing with an Achilles strain. It was throbbing, but I knew I could push through the pain and I was happy I was able to make it through – because I have to. I don’t have a choice.”

Kenney wants to impress the Bucs this August and in the preseason so they’ll have no choice but to keep him in red and pewter come September.