Things may have just gotten a little more difficult for the Cowboys defense as they prepare to face a Buccaneers offensive line that’s been hurting all season.
Tampa Bay center Ryan Jensen was activated from injured reserve on Monday and is expected to make his season debut against Dallas in the wild-card round.
Jensen was a key piece to the Bucs’ Super Bowl-winning season in 2020 and was named to his first Pro Bowl for the 2021 campaign. But a severe knee injury suffered on the second day of the team’s training camp has kept him sidelined for the entirety of 2022.
The 31-year-old had his practice window activated in late December, and he took practice reps with the Bucs’ first team last week.
Given that development, as per Michael Gehlken of the Dallas Morning News, Jensen’s return had been expected by the Cowboys.
The #Bucs activated Pro Bowl C Ryan Jensen from injured reserve, potential major news for tonight vs the #Cowboys.
— Ian Rapoport (@RapSheet) January 16, 2023
According to Bucs Wire, the extent of Jensen’s injury had not been revealed all season long; the team had only called it “serious.” Only now has Carmen Vitali of Fox Sports explained that Jensen “partially tore multiple ligaments in his knee, including his ACL.”
Five months later, he’s expected to reclaim his spot in Tampa Bay’s starting lineup.
Second-year man Robert Hainsey had been playing center for quarterback Tom Brady this season, but a hamstring injury forced him to withdraw early from Tampa Bay’s Week 18 loss to Atlanta.
Now Brady gets back a ten-year veteran who handled 97.4% of the team’s offensive snaps last year. And while the Bucs’ patchworked offensive line allowed just 22 sacks during the season-fewest in the NFL- that’s more a product of Brady’s quick delivery of the ball.
Overall, Tampa Bay’s line had been seen as a potential weakness for the Cowboys defense to exploit. The Buccaneers ranked last in the league in 2022 in rushing attempts, rushing yards, rushing touchdowns, and yards per carry.
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