TAMPA, Fla. — Buccaneers center Ryan Jensen is expected to miss months after suffering a left knee injury during practice Thursday, coach Todd Bowles said Friday.
The Buccaneers are awaiting results from an MRI before determining how long Jensen will be out.
«We don't know the severity of it, per se, but I do know he'll miss some significant time, up to a couple months,» Bowles said. «Whether he'll be back later in the season, November or December, depends on what they find. But he won't be available any time soon.»
Jensen was injured during a team period Thursday, with the whole team gathering around him before he was carted off the field.
«He's really our enforcer when you think about it, of our offense,» wide receiver Mike Evans said of Jensen. «Such a great guy, a great teammate. He brings that energy. I pray for him and his family. We'll definitely miss him.… We're gonna miss him a lot.»
Bowles said the Buccaneers will look for Robert Hainsey or Nick Leverett to step up while Jensen is out. The team has also discussed bringing in a veteran center, but he has to be the right fit, Bowles said.
«That'll be a tough battle going in — both are very smart, both are very tough, so better to happen now than in the middle of the season so each guy can get some practice reps and prepare for it, and I think either one of them would be fine,» Bowles said.
Hainsey is a 2021 third-round draft pick out of Notre Dame who converted from right tackle to center last year, seeing action in four games with 29 offensive snaps with Blaine Gabbert.
«The way Ryan approaches every day and every game is a mentality that he's the baddest dude on the field. And he usually is,» Hainsey said. «Being that guy, you see it throughout the games and I
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