The biggest free agent acquisition for the Tampa Bay Buccaneers should have a big impact on the offensive line.
Ryan Jensen was a coveted free agent center that, lucky for us, chose the Tampa Bay Buccaneers as his next place to call home. After a nerve-wracking 48 hours that saw Jensen come visit the Bucs then leave for Indianapolis to visit the Colts, Jensen agreed to a four year, $42 million dollar deal ($22 million guaranteed) with Tampa Bay to become the NFL’s highest paid center.
It was scary for the Buccaneers as well as the Bucs fans to see him visit the Colts, but he told everyone going into things that he would visit both teams. You have to respect a guy that stays true to his word, but it didn’t save us from any anxiety in the process.
But what do we know about Jensen?
For starters, Jensen went to Colorado State University – Pueblo – a school that most if not all of you have never heard of until you found out that’s where Jensen played his collegiate ball. After being a sixth round pick in 2013 for the Baltimore Ravens, Jensen had to scrap, climb, and (literally) fight his way on to the roster. Jensen spoke about his experience fighting Haloti Ngata on his first day of training camp;
"“The story with Haloti Ngata the first day of training camp, I just went in and it’s one of those things where you pick the fight with the biggest and baddest guy on the team and you go with it. I get that style from my college coach. I was an undersized guy going into college, 230 pounds my freshman year of college. I ended up having to start playing tackle at that weight. The only way I could survive was to play nasty and play physical and play through the whistle. That’s definitely where I kind of got that style from.”More from Bucs Free AgencyBuccaneers lose free agent starter to Kansas City ChiefsBuccaneers free agent tracker: Who’s coming and going in 2023?5 Buccaneers who probably won’t be back now that Tom Brady has retiredBuccaneers are taking first step in the right direction for the offseasonWhy the Buccaneers should consider a near roster blow-up"
One thing is for sure – with the addition of Jensen, that offensive line just got a whole lot nastier and Buccaneers fans should be pumped.
The other thing to remember is that Jensen upgraded two positions at once with his playing center and Ali Marpet moving back to guard.
Jensen spoke about his close friend and former Buccaneer Garrett Gilkey showing him around town on his visit and selling him on the city of Tampa. At the end of the day, we’re fortunate he chose us.
Despite only starting sixteen games at center in his career, those sixteen games were enough to see that Jensen was exactly what teams were looking for – a guy that busts his butt to work his way up the ranks. Jensen isn’t one to take anything for granted. He’s had to earn every snap he’s taken and has earned the contract he received.
The worry – as it always is with free agents – is that once they get paid, they get complacent. That won’t be the case with Jensen;
"“I’ve played with a chip on my shoulder my entire career. You know, Division II guy, a late-round draft pick, stuff like that, you can’t lose that chip on your shoulder. Once you get comfortable, that’s when things start to regress.”"
Overall, this move deserves an A grade. Not just for the player the Tampa Bay Buccaneers are getting, but for what Jensen does for the offensive line as a whole. He helps those around him, and improves the pass and run blocking immediately. There’s a lot to be said for keeping Jameis Winston upright and actually giving him time to throw the ball.
Finally, a few factoids – Jensen has been very open with his battle with sleep apnea and he once referred to himself as an “annoying little mosquito” after Raiders’ defensive end Mario Edwards got so irritated with Jensen that he started throwing punches.