When Tampa Bay Buccaneers center Ryan Jensen went down with a scary knee injury on the second day of training camp, it cast a pall over One Buc Place.
That shadow would last the entire regular season, as Jensen’s absence was painfully evident while the Bucs struggled on offense all year, limping to an 8-9 record.
At no point did the Bucs specify exactly what kind of injury Jensen had suffered, only calling it a “serious” knee injury, and placing him on injured reserve.
Now that Jensen has been activated, and is expected to start Monday night against the Dallas Cowboys, we’ve got some clarity about the nature of his injury.
Jensen tore multiple ligaments in his knee on that day in July, including his ACL, according to Carmen Vitali of Fox Sports:
The Buccaneers are activating Ryan Jensen off IR and he is expected to play (center) in tonight’s game against the Cowboys.
Jensen partially tore multiple ligaments in his knee, including his ACL, at the start of training camp. Absolutely insane recovery.
— Carmen Vitali (@CarmieV) January 16, 2023
For Jensen to make a return to the lineup a little more than five months removed from such a serious knee injury is nothing short of miraculous.
If the Bucs beat the Cowboys on Monday night and move on to the next round of the NFL playoffs, don’t be surprised if Jensen’s return is a huge reason why.
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