According to The Athletic’s Greg Auman, the Bucs have placed Pro Bowl center Ryan Jensen on injured reserve, and re-signed defensive back Logan Ryan. Jensen suffered a knee injury on the second day of training camp and has been sidelined ever since.

Tampa Bay has yet to announce any final word on what Jensen’s injury is or how long he will be out. However, the team still has hope that he will return some time later this season.

That’s why Jensen is headed to injured reserve now, as his inclusion on the Bucs’ initial 53-man roster makes him eligible for short-term injured reserve, which means he can be activated after four weeks. That doesn’t mean he’ll be back in Week 5, though, as it’s expected to be months before he even has a chance to come back.

Roster Maneuvering Allows For Wednesday’s Move

If Tampa Bay had sent Jensen to injured reserve before final cuts were made on Tuesday, he would’ve been unable to return this season. That’s the case with guard Aaron Stinnie, running back Kenjon Barner and outside linebacker Cam Gill, who all landed on I.R. this preseason and will miss the 2022 season.

Bucs DB Logan Ryan – Photo by: Cliff Welch/PR

Instead, the Bucs kept Jensen on their initial roster so that he could have eligibility for short-term I.R. But to keep Jensen, general manager Jason Licht and his staff had to do some maneuvering on Tuesday. That meant releasing veteran safety Logan Ryan, a newcomer this offseason, with the plan to immediately re-sign him once Jensen went on injured reserve and his roster spot freed up. But why release Ryan and not someone else?

As a vested veteran, Ryan was not subjected to waivers. Instead, he became a free agent, making him free to re-sign with the Bucs once they made the procedural move of adding Jensen to injured reserve. At the same time, Ryan was a vested veteran with no guaranteed money in his contract, making him the perfect candidate for this type of move.

Despite being a pawn in the team’s roster manipulation needs, Ryan will play a significant role for the Bucs on defense this year. He’ll be a starting safety in nickel defense, as Antoine Winfield Jr. will play the nickel position and free up a safety spot for Ryan. The 10-year veteran can also play cornerback — inside or outside — if needed.

Bucs Roll With Hainsey While Still Hoping To Get Jensen Back

Bucs C Robert Hainsey – Photo by: Cliff Welch/PR

When Jensen suffered his knee injury, head coach Todd Bowles made it seem like 2021 third-round pick Robert Hainsey and third-year pro Nick Leverett would battle for the starting center role. But it’s been Hainsey’s job all along, as he’s strictly taken snaps as the first-team center.

The team is confident in Hainsey, a former standout at Notre Dame. His coaches and teammates have had nothing but good things to say about his development, often praising his smarts and toughness. He had a solid preseason and will take over the unenviable role of being the replacement for a Pro Bowl center on a contending team.

Meanwhile, as much as they believe in Hainsey, the Bucs hope to see Jensen back on the field this season. That’s obvious, given their roster moves on Tuesday and Wednesday. It will be a while, though, before the 31-year-old could return.

Tampa Bay is surely hoping he’ll be back late in the season and into the playoffs, which would give the offensive line some major reinforcements heading into the season’s stretch run. Perhaps it’ll be a similar situation to what unfolded during the team’s Super Bowl run two seasons ago, when nose tackle Vita Vea returned from injured reserve to play in the NFC Championship Game against Green Bay, as well as the Super Bowl against Kansas City. Jensen’s return would surely be a big boost, especially if it came at such a crucial time as the playoffs.