Tampa Bay Buccaneers starting center Ryan Jensen carted off with knee injury

TAMPA, Fla. — Tampa Bay Buccaneers starting center Ryan Jensen was carted off the field during Thursday's training camp practice with a left knee injury.

Bucs coach Todd Bowles said Jensen will undergo testing to determine the severity of the injury. General manager Jason Licht said the team might not have a diagnosis for a few days due to swelling.

The injury happened during a team period and resulted in the whole team gathering around Jensen, who has been a fixture on the Bucs' offensive line for five seasons. The mood immediately turned somber.

«That usually happens when you have a player like right who is obviously a very good player but also just a great person and a leader, and his toughness — things like that, about him, that define him,» 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.»

Jensen, 31, agreed to a three-year deal with the Buccaneers in March. He surrendered only two sacks in both the 2021 regular season and postseason combined and produced a 93.1% pass block win rate from the center position — regular season and playoffs combined — the past two years protecting Tom Brady.

Jensen signed as a free agent with the Buccaneers in 2018, moving from guard to center as the team wanted to bring more attitude and toughness to its offensive line. Jensen immediately emerged as a tone-setter. His 4,518 snaps at the center position are the most of any offensive lineman since 2018.

Initially, Jensen had issues channeling his aggression, and at times it led to costly penalties, but he has improved tremendously in that department. In his first season in