Buccaneers 2018 Free-Agency Spotlight: Center, Ryan Jensen
Offensive line isn’t the biggest need for the Buccaneers, but with a limited number of draft prospects who present as likely day-one starters, the team may turn to free-agency to help secure the front line.
Quenton Nelson has been a mock draft favorite to land with the Buccaneers with the seventh pick in the 2018 NFL Draft.
As unusual as it is to see an interior lineman taken even that high, he may have boosted his stock into the Top-5 with a pretty solid combine showing.
If Jason Licht and his staff feel like Nelson isn’t assured to be available to them in the first round, then signing an interior lineman may be a route they choose to go.
Ryan Jensen played well for the Baltimore Ravens in 2017, and since the team declined to franchise tag him, he should become an unrestricted free-agent when the new league year begins.
Might the Bucs make a run at him?
Ryan Jensen’s Career
Drafted in the sixth-round of the 2013 NFL Draft, Jensen came out of Colorado State as a lesser known prospect.
He only appeared in one game in his first two seasons but got six starts for the Ravens in 2015.
2017 was his first year as a full-time starter, and he turned in a pretty solid performance. One which figures to make him a lot of money this season.
Why the Buccaneers Need Him
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The running game didn’t get going very well, and pass protection was suspect for most of the season last year.
Jensen is young and considering he has just one year as a full-time starter under his belt, he still has yet to hit his ceiling.
He has the ability to move over to guard if the Bucs still want to keep Ali Marpet at center, but it could work either way with Marpet potentially moving back to his original position as well.
No matter how they utilized him, Jensen and Marpet alone would increase the blocking and protection ability in front of Jameis Winston and whatever running back is starting in Tampa for 2018.
What Will Jensen Cost?
This is the tricky part. Spotrac estimates Jensen will draw almost $9 Million per year on average. This puts him just under what the Falcons pay Alex Mack and what the Cowboys pay Travis Frederick.
The importance of offensive linemen and the scarcity of good young ones coming available in the modern NFL is likely to cause a bit of a bidding war when free-agency begins, with Jensen’s bank account being the ultimate winner.
Will It Happen?
If the price tag is north of $7 Million per year, then I don’t think so. It’s not that Jensen isn’t a solid player who could certainly help the Buccaneers in 2018, it’s sustained success and the future, or lack thereof.
Jensen has had one solid year in his five-year career. We can’t really sit here and say the Ravens knew he would become what he did in 2017. However, what he was in 2017, was pretty impressive.
Jason Licht doesn’t have just this year to worry about though, and any large contract he throws in the direction of someone like Jensen is money he can’t use to keep the likes of Kwon Alexander and Mike Evans in the near future.
If the Bucs allow themselves to get marked up on Jensen, then it could hurt their bargaining power in the future. That being said, a frontloaded deal providing outs for the franchise in year two or beyond, solves this issue.
Still, the higher the price tag goes for Jensen, the less likely they are to ink him.
What are your thoughts on Ryan Jensen joining the Tampa Bay Buccaneers? Let me know in the comments or on social media to discuss.