Tampa Bay Buccaneers: Ryan Jensen leaves without signing
By Bailey Adams
Center Ryan Jensen, who seems to be one of the Tampa Bay Buccaneers’ top free agent targets, has left his Tampa visit without signing a deal. He can’t be completely ruled out yet, but he is headed to Indianapolis next to visit with the Colts.
Other than bringing in a couple of guys on Wednesday to help the defensive line, the Tampa Bay Buccaneers have yet to make any major moves in free agency. They have been connected to a few names, though, including former Ravens center Ryan Jensen. The 26-year-old headed down for a visit to Tampa on Wednesday and met with the team on Thursday. However, he has reportedly left One Buc without signing. As previously planned, he is now set to visit with the Colts.
Sources tell me Ryan Jensen's visit has concluded with the Bucs and he is boarding a private plane right now to Indianapolis to visit the Colts, as scheduled. Yes, the Colts sent a private plane down to Tampa. https://t.co/ZdwbJD7z2s
— JennaLaineESPN (@JennaLaineESPN) March 15, 2018
Tampa Bay hasn’t officially missed out on Jensen, but the team surely didn’t want to let the big man leave without striking a deal with him. NFL Network’s Ian Rapoport reported that Jensen could be asking for a $10 million-plus per year. The Bucs could realistically take that on as of right now. It would be especially doable if the contract were to be front-loaded, as the team often does these days.
Signing Jensen would more than likely move Ali Marpet back to guard, where he played in the first two years of his career. That would solidify the interior of Tampa Bay’s offensive line in a big way. J.R. Sweezy would more than likely be the other guard, barring another signing or a guard being selected in the draft. Then, of course, Donovan Smith and Demar Dotson would fill out the line at the tackle positions.
With Jensen leaving town, the Bucs might have to look at other options. One guy who could potentially be of interest is three-time Pro Bowl center Mike Pouncey, who is set to be released by the Dolphins. As far as other free agency visits go, the team is also hosting former Saints defensive end Alex Okafor today.
Next: Buccaneers: 2018 Free Agency Tracker
Make sure to keep following along with us throughout the week as the initial free agency push rolls on.