Ryan Jensen's Knee Injury Remains a Mystery
It's been over a month since the Tampa Bay Buccaneers' Pro Bowl center went down with an knee injury. It was just the second day of Bucs' Training Camp, July 28th, to be exact.
In a sports/social media media landscape where inside stories, drama and even injury news feels like it's sometimes reported before the player even hits the turf, it's shocking that no specific information has been released regarding the specific nature of Jensen's injury.
It's clear that he sustained a serious knee injury based on first hand accounts, footage of the play, and even some vague comments from Todd Bowles, but no specific information has been released from the team.
For context, when Aaron Stinnie went down with a knee injury during the team's second preseason game vs. the Tennessee Titans, it took all of fourteen hours before ESPN's Jenna Laine reported that the he had suffered a torn ACL/MCL.
So what can we make of the difference between how Jensen's injury has been handled by the team – in comparison to pretty much every other knee injury in the NFL, ever?
Does this mean it's potentially good news for Ryan Jensen?
It could be, I guess... but that depends on your definition of good news. We really can't say for sure.
Because we don't know.
What we do know though, is that the Bucs believe there is at least a chance that Jensen could return at some point this season. Which is why they got creative this past week, and released Logan Ryan. A head scratcher at first, but in reality, it was simply as a formality so the Bucs could keep Jensen on the roster, and promptly place him on the IR – leaving the window open for him to return at some point this season.
So with no clear information regarding the injury itself, or Jensen's timeline to return, Bucs fans – like everyone outside of One Buc Place – are forced to wait and see. So in the meantime, I guess they'll just need to subscribe to the belief that no news, is good news.
To reward Bucs fans for their patience, and provide a reminder of just how special Ryan Jensen is when he's on the field, here is a breakdown of what makes him so great by former Buccaneer teammate and coach, A.Q. Shipley, speaking to offensive line analyst, Brandon Thorn.
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