With training camps underway, one of the brutal parts of football is upon us: Injuries. Tampa Bay Buccaneers center Ryan Jensen was carted off during practice Thursday morning after suffering an apparent left leg injury.
Ryan Jensen is down on the field with an injury and is being carted off the field.
— Greg Auman (@gregauman) July 28, 2022
Concerning situation with Ryan Jensen down. Teammates taking a knee. Looked like his left lower leg was being checked as he went off on cart.
— Greg Auman (@gregauman) July 28, 2022
As noted by Jenna Laine, who covers the Buccaneers for ESPN, the mere fact that Jensen was carted off could be a troubling sign:
Ryan Jensen absolutely doesn‘t like being carted off. Even if he’s in significant pain, he will attempt to walk. It’s telling that he can’t.
— JennaLaineESPN (@JennaLaineESPN) July 28, 2022
Also, for those body language experts among us:
Ryan Jensen just went down for Bucs and being carted off. He threw his helmet, which is not a good sign.
— Pete Prisco (@PriscoCBS) July 28, 2022
Jensen has been a rock on the inside of the Tampa Bay offensive line since joining the organization for the 2018 season. During his four years with the Buccaneers, Jensen has started every single game. The past two years he has been tasked with helping protect the A-Gaps for Tom Brady, a huge responsibility, and he has performed extremely well in that role. Last year he allowed just a pair of sacks in pass protection. Here against the Philadelphia Eagles on Wild-Card Weekend, watch as he takes the fight to the defensive tackle in pass pro:
Working against Jonathan Allen here in the regular season, watch Jensen’s lateral movement, combined with his ability to counter, as he helps keep Brady clean on this third-down conversion:
While protecting Brady is important, Jensen also stands out in the run game. Watch the athleticism he displays on this run to the right edge from Ronald Jones, picking up a pair of blocks along the way:
Buccaneers fans are hoping that the injury is nothing serious, as Jensen is a huge part of their offensive line.