As the final week of the preseason winds down and the Tampa Bay Buccaneers focus on finalizing the roster, one major question hangs over the team like a dark cloud.
Slowly over the course of training camp the future for Pro Bowl center Ryan Jensen got more and more murky. He returned to the team in July with an emotional press conference in which he detailed the toll his injury last season took on him both on and off the field. That was pretty much the last we’ve seen of him, though, as Jense has yet to suit up for the Bucs in either practice or a game and it’s unclear when he’ll be able to do so.
There have been murmurs that Jensen might be done with the Bucs altogether.
It’s too early to tell if that will end up being the case, but it’s true that there’s insane uncertainty about Jensen’s future. He’s reportedly been ruled out for the Bucs Week 1 trip up to Minnesota, something the team has been preparing for since the middle of August.
Updates on Jensen’s health have been all over the place, but it seems the only consistent thing about them is they’re never good.
Buccaneers Rumors: Ryan Jensen could begin season on IR
The Athletic’s Greg Auman was asked about Jensen’s health and proposed a very realistic and depressing outcome to his situation.
Auman floated something Bucs fans have been quietly thinking but trying not to accidentally speak into existence: Ryan Jensen starting the season on IR.
No, we very much do not know what Ryan Jensen's status is. He hasn't had any full-squad work in practice in four weeks, and Bowles doesn't seem to have an answer for when he might. So seems like injured reserve - potentially with the chance to return - seems like a possibility. https://t.co/WvxR6Zubbo
— Greg Auman (@gregauman) August 24, 2023
There are a number of things to be concerned with if Jensen starts the season IR, even if he’s designated for return. The Bucs offensive line is coming off a year where it was a Main Character in what went wrong in Tom Brady’s last season, with Jensen’s injury causing him to miss the season being a major factor.
To begin yet another season with the same situation is obviously less than ideal.
There’s also a financial angle to consider, which is something Auman also broke down when talking about the Jensen situation.
As Ryan Jensen’s injury status puts his immediate future in doubt, it’s also important to note the Bucs used his contract to free up cap space this past year. If they wanted to move on after this season, Jensen would still count $16.6 million in dead money against the 2024 cap.
— Greg Auman (@gregauman) August 24, 2023
Let’s not look that far into the future, or imagine it being that grim. The immediate future feel much more concerning, since the Bucs need to figure out a plan to replace Jensen in a short amount of time.
Robert Hainsey would be in line to start in place of Jensen, with Nick Leverett serving as his backup. Depth up front was an issue for the Bucs last season and already the offensive line is looking thin. Hopefully Jensen is able to avoid IR — or worse — and return to the Bucs. Until then the offensive line looks like it’s once again going to be a major source of anxiety early in the season.