So, What’s Going On With Ryan Jensen?
June 2nd, 2023
Still a mystery.
Last year Bucs coach Todd Bowles drove fans bananas.
No, Joe’s not talking about strategy or a coaching decision. It was Bowles’ refusal to discuss Pro Bowl center Ryan Jensen’s injury.
For months, Bowles said the Bucs didn’t know the extent of Jensen’s torn-up knee, in part, due to swelling. Joe made the remark sometime in August that if Jensen’s knee was this swollen, he probably needed an amputation.
Even in December, Bowles claimed he didn’t have a final diagnosis on Jensen’s wrecked knee and offered no return timeline.
(You could make a good argument that when Jensen went down in the second practice of training camp with a destroyed knee, the Bucs’ chances of postseason success crumbled to the dirt behind One Buc Palace along with Jensen.)
So earlier this week after underwear football practice, just moments after Bowles refused to address Russell Gage’s latest injury (“We don’t talk about injuries at OTAs”) Bowles actually talked about Jensen’s injury. Barely.
“We have a good feel for where Ryan is,” Bowles said. “We understand where he is right now. He’s doing pretty good.”
While terribly vague, at least Bowles addressed it.
Jensen is, like every other position on the Bucs’ offensive line, a question mark. It sure would help the entire front line if Jensen can play close to his pre-knee-destruction level.
Just having Jensen’s ‘tude on the field is beneficial, so long as he can handle the rigors of an NFL season playing on an offensive line with a trashed knee.
June 2nd, 2023 at 6:31 am
Logan Hall’s greatest contribution to the team to date.
June 2nd, 2023 at 6:42 am
“where he is right now”
Doesn’t sound great.
June 2nd, 2023 at 6:42 am
Big boys’ gonna be just fine. Modern medicine, rehab techniques and such.
June 2nd, 2023 at 7:06 am
Bowles is a sorry excuse for a head coach the sooner hes gone the better.
June 2nd, 2023 at 7:36 am
One of the more interesting developments at OTAs was hearing that Nick Leverett was taking snaps at C this past week. Might not be a big deal, might have zero to do with Jensens’ health but it’s confirmation that we’re testing the versatility of some of our core depth players.
June 2nd, 2023 at 8:04 am
Dooley…more interesting to me is that last year’s starter, Hainsey, is not.
June 2nd, 2023 at 8:30 am
“We have a good feel for where Ryan is,”
And we don’t lol.
I don’t honestly get the secrecy with stuff like this. It’s June 2nd and a starting player’s health check. There is no gamesmanship or strategy or any of that to this that I could understand. Also can Ryan Jensen himself not just give an update?
June 2nd, 2023 at 9:07 am
Jensen played in the playoff game, im sure he’ll be fine
June 2nd, 2023 at 9:15 am
@DayOnePaul
Hainsey has been getting reps at bot G positions and OTAs are more an open-air classroom so I could see this as the team cross training Leverett to potentially have > 1 backup behind Jensen. Wouldn’t jump to any conclusions just yet.
And @Lord
No injury report requirements in the offseason. It seems the team is picking up where they left off in terms of updates on Jensens’ health. That’s also why there’s been no details on what’s wrong with Gage or when Sean Tucker can start fully participating in team activities for that matter.
June 2nd, 2023 at 9:18 am
What’s odd to me is that fundamentally he was apparently well enough to play in a playoff game months and months ago. We all know he wasn’t anywhere near 100% but he was cleared for play. Now, months later, unless he had some type of setback that we’re unaware of, logically he should be much better now than he was then. So I’m not sure why any of this is even a thing, but yet it is. And there’s a reason for that obviously.
June 2nd, 2023 at 9:49 am
Thanks alot Logan Hall. Biggest thing he’s known for, is destroying his teammates knee.
June 2nd, 2023 at 9:56 am
OMG …someone buy Joe a beer and get him a woman lol
June 2nd, 2023 at 10:02 am
I have no problem with holistic approaches, but Jensen tore every ligament in his knee. It needed to be surgically repaired. I don’t think those ligaments will hold up all season.
June 2nd, 2023 at 10:11 am
Unfortunately for Joe and other media types, coaches blow BA cigar smoke up their arse for them to handle. He doesn’t care what the bandwagon says about him, after winning the division in his first year. Bandwagon define MORON and you will find a picture of themselves thinking Bowles will be gone after this year with a brand new OC and system. Can’t just change system every bad year, especially when Bowles has the influence on Jason Licht rebuilding strategy and
June 2nd, 2023 at 10:12 am
If he played in the Dallas playoff game 4 months ago – how is he not ok to play in the preseason?
That doesn’t make much sense to me.
June 2nd, 2023 at 10:13 am
*and defense.
June 2nd, 2023 at 10:15 am
Marine Buc
There are so many ways for set backs you can’t count, especially playing to his full potential at his age.
June 2nd, 2023 at 10:36 am
When Jensen went down, we lost a lot of our swagger.
Ryan Jensen is an honest to goodness bad azz. Him and His whole family are a bunch of Martial Artists.
June 2nd, 2023 at 10:46 am
@ SOE
I guess. Perhaps he came back a little too soon but he played the entire game and looked pretty good out there…
I have a feeling he will be ok. If he doesn’t have to play until early September he should be good to go in 3 months from now.
Dude is a tough SOB.
June 2nd, 2023 at 11:04 am
Essentially, he won’t have to play a game until 7 months after he played in his last game with no apparent setbacks in between. I still don’t see the problem. Unless of course there were setbacks that we weren’t aware of.
June 2nd, 2023 at 11:37 am
The Logan Hall hate is strange. First of all, it’s pretty rare for college lineman (offense and defense) to succeed year one. That’s because they go from being bigger and stronger than many peers to competing against men that have multiple seasons of NFL conditioning. It’s not an easy jump for the best college lineman, and Hall was drafted as a traits prospect. It would have been amazing if he did something last year, but to trash him already is premature. Let him get a couple season of conditioning in before you judge.
June 2nd, 2023 at 11:42 am
Jenson is a older vet. He doesn’t really need OTAs. Evans and David aren’t here either. No big deal.
June 2nd, 2023 at 11:49 am
If Jensen were good to go, the team would just flat out say so. Bowles thinks he is The Hoodie, and keeping his cards close, when the rest of us can see something is up. Kinda like last season when his offense underperformed and his defense gave out at the end of the season. It would have been tactful to say that he is a veteran coming off of injury and they want to bring him along carefully. Todd Bowles is not a coach on a team in rebuild mode. He was given a talented team and underachieved. Anyone thinking he will get another pass for a losing season is drinking waay too much Big Storm this early in the day. No excuses for him this season. He better get them floaties ready and prepare to walk that plank.
June 2nd, 2023 at 11:57 am
Hoping he makes a comeback but that game against Dallas was rough and he graded out terribly. Chances are he is washed up at this point and we need to start looking for a new cemetery next year. Just my opinion
June 2nd, 2023 at 11:57 am
New center*
June 2nd, 2023 at 12:46 pm
He had some great years and made good money but is now among the oldest centers in the league coming off major injury.
June 2nd, 2023 at 1:17 pm
He played in the wild card game. That tells you everything you need to know. He will be ready for training camp when it rolls in.
June 2nd, 2023 at 1:28 pm
Ryna Jensen was nowhere near 100% playing in the Dallas game. The reason Bowles, or most coaches don’t want to comment on injuries is to spare the player the pressure and the media scrutiny.
He will be fine. I’m more concerned about Gage being a season-long contributor.
June 2nd, 2023 at 2:14 pm
No question that when logan hall put Ryan out for the regular season–our Buccs chance of a SB were gone . Jensen was the heart & soul of the OL . He was a leader by example .. I’m surprised he’s trying to come back–but hope to god he dosen’t wreck his knee even more – which could limit him for rest of his life.
As for logan hall -his lack of contributions to the team say it all !!! he’s a jerk…
June 2nd, 2023 at 3:29 pm
Do not worry. Bowles will blunder. He feels pretty good. Man the lifeboats. HC/DC strikes again.
June 2nd, 2023 at 3:56 pm
RYAN JENSON IS GOING TO BE BACK TO HIS OLD SELF BY THE PRE-SEASON, SO I WOULDN’T BE ALL THAT CONCERNED ABOUT IT AT THIS TIME ( HE’S A VETERAN FOR GOD’S SAKE PEOPLE)..HE & CODY MAUCH ARE GOING TO HAVE ALOT OF FUN THIS YEAR BATTLING DEFENSIVE LINEMAN IN THE TRENCHES ! OUR LINE ( BOTH SIDES) WILL BE FINE WITH DEPTH AT ALL POSITIONS..LIGHTEN UP ! THIS TEAM IS GOING TO BE A CONTENDER COME DECEMBER & WE ARE GOING TO SHOCK THE NFL WORLD THIS YEAR, I JUST FEEL IT IN MY BONES..
June 2nd, 2023 at 4:56 pm
The team isn’t saying much because they disagreed with the route Jensen chose. He chose to rehab the knee instead of having surgery to repair it. I’m sure the team expressed their desire for Jensen to have surgery. Jensen made his decision against the wishes of the team. Now they want him to play.
June 2nd, 2023 at 7:43 pm
Hey CAPSLOCK BOY! Stop yelling!
June 2nd, 2023 at 10:22 pm
If Jensen is back 100% to start the season, and is back to his normal level, the OL will be immediately better with Wirfs, Jensen and Feiler, and if they fully address the remaining slots. The way they did not last season. On the other hand, you had better hope they are not going to do the Hainsey/Leverette/in-house JAG thing again.
June 3rd, 2023 at 2:45 am
Wow …We go from what injury?
Back to nobody is talking?
Geez!
June 3rd, 2023 at 9:40 am
Anyone whose hurt there knee knows he’s likely done.
He tore his PCL, MCL, and partial ACL.
He should have had surgery and not doing so is likely a career ender for him