Ryan Jensen injury: NFL analyst claims Buccaneers star could miss entire 2022 season

Center Ryan Jensen went down with a knee injury yesterday in practice. The Tampa Bay Buccaneers fear they may have lost a very important piece of their offense for the entire season. Jenson has been a mainstay in the Tampa Bay offense since the 2018 season and has impressed fans and pundits alike.

The situation was met with great concern by all and reports are filtering through about the possible extent of the injury. NFL Network's Ian Rapoport Tweeted that the team fears that the injury will be season-ending.

Rapoport Tweeted:

"While the #Bucs await final word, the fear is Pro Bowl center Ryan Jensen has suffered a season-ending knee injury, sources say. A likely frustrating end to his 2022."

"Tampa’s options include internal — Robert Hainsey — or external — JC Tretter, Matt Paradis, Billy Price, etc."

The Buccaneers could turn to backup center Robert Hainsey or explore other options. The top free agent centers on the market are J.C. Tretter, Billy Price, and Matt Paradis.

With the Buccaneers very much in win-now mode, they will likely do whatever it takes to replace Ryan Jensen.

Buccaneers general manager Jason Licht comments on Ryan Jensens's injury

NFC Divisional Playoffs - Los Angeles Rams v Tampa Bay Buccaneers

Following the news, general manager Jason Licht commented on Ryan Jensen's situation. He said the when a player of Jensen's caliber goes down, everyone feels concerned. Here's what Licht said:

"When a player like that gets hurt and he's played through several injuries in his career, without missing any time, it deflates everybody. We'll wait to find out what it is and we're hoping for the best."

Ryan Jensen was a sixth-round pick by the Baltimore Ravens in 2013. He became a full-time starter for the Ravens in 2017, starting in all 16 games for the first time in his career.

On March 19, 2018, Jensen signed a four-year, $42 million contract with the Buccaneers, with $22 million guaranteed. This made him the highest-paid center in the league at the time. He signed a three-year, $39 million contract extension with the Buccaneers this offseason on March 14th. Jensen made the Pro-Bowl for the first time in his career last season, after one of his strongest campaigns to date.

While the nature and severity of the injury has not been released yet, the worry is that it could be long term. We will find out the timeline of the injury in due course.

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