Tampa Bay Center Ryan Jensen out for an extended period of time

Bucs suffer a huge blow!

Coach Todd Bowles stated Friday that Buccaneers centre Ryan Jensen will miss several months due to a left knee injury sustained during practice on Thursday.

Before determining Jensen’s availability, the Buccaneers will await results from an MRI. Check out the best bookmakers for betting on the NFL.

Bowles stated that while we don’t know how severe it is, I know he will miss some time, possibly up to two months. It will depend on what they find. “Whether he’ll return later in the season, November, or December, is up to them. He won’t be there any time soon.

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Jensen sustained an injury during a Thursday team period. The whole team gathered around Jensen before he was taken off the field.

Wide receiver Mike Evans referred to Jensen as “our enforcer” when he thinks about it. He’s a great guy and a great teammate. He is full of energy. I send my prayers for him and his family. We will miss him. We will miss him very much.

Bowles stated that the Buccaneers will look for Robert Hainsey and Nick Leverett to step up. Bowles stated that the team had also considered bringing in a veteran center. However, he must be the right fit.

This is a huge loss as Jensen makes all the line calls and is the anchor of an offensive line that will be expected to protect 45-year-old quarterback Tom Brady. This loss really damages the Bucs hope of returning to the Super Bowl.

Bowles stated, “That’ll likely be a difficult battle going in — both smart, both very tough, so it’s better to happen now rather than in the middle season so each man can get some practice reps, prepare for it and I think either of them would do fine,”

Hainsey, a 2021 third-round draft selection out of Notre Dame, converted from right tackle into center last year. He saw action in four games and took 29 offensive snaps with Blaine Gabbert. He has good feet and lateral movement, but his lack of experience at the center position will be a huge concern.

Ryan’s approach to every day and every game is one that makes him the one of the best players on the field. Hainsey stated that he is often the last player on the field. “Being that guy, it’s something you see throughout the games, and I know you guys enjoy talking about it, but it is important to me that I am in that locker room, and in locker rooms across the NFL — it means something, and it carries a certain amount of respect. “He’s the guy who won’t allow you to get away with anything.”

Leverett, a 2020 undrafted-free agent from Rice, has spent considerable time on the practice team and has been able to support all five offensive line positions. He was a right guard in the last season’s game against the Indianapolis Colts.

In February, Jensen, 31 years old, signed a three-year contract with the Buccaneers. He became the Buccaneer’s first free agent to be resigned this offseason. He was the first to call quarterback Tom Brady to inform him of his decision to come back. He had only surrendered two sacks in 2021’s regular season and postseason and had a 93.1% pass blocking win rate from the middle position (regular season and playoffs together) during the two years of Brady’s protection.

Jensen was a Buccaneer’s free agent in 2018. He moved from center to guard and took 4,518 snaps at that position, which is the most by any offensive lineman since 2018.

The Buccaneers’ offensive team, which is one of the strongest in the league with Brady, has experienced a lot turnover this year. Right guard Alex Cappa was traded to the Cincinnati Bengals through free agency. Guard Ali Marpet was forced to retire.

Jensen was originally drafted by the Baltimore Ravens, in the sixth round in 2013. He has played in 100 games and made 90 starts over eight seasons.