Tampa Bay Buccaneers center Ryan Jensen is expected to miss months after suffering a left knee injury during practice Thursday, coach Todd Bowles told reporters Friday.
The Buccaneers are awaiting results from an MRI before determining how long Jensen will be out.
Jensen was injured during a team period Thursday, with the whole team gathering around him before he was carted off the field.
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, Bowles said.
Jensen, 31, agreed to a three-year deal with the Buccaneers in March. He surrendered only two sacks in the 2021 regular season and postseason combined and had 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 joined the Buccaneers as a free agent in 2018, moving from guard to center, with his 4,518 snaps at the position the most of any offensive lineman since 2018.
The Buccaneers’ offensive line — one of the most durable in the league with Brady — has seen a lot of turnover this year, losing right guard Alex Cappa to the Cincinnati Bengals in free agency and left guard Ali Marpet to retirement.
Originally drafted by the Baltimore Ravens in the sixth round of the 2013 draft, Jensen has appeared in 100 games with 90 starts in eight seasons.
ESPN’s Jenna Laine contributed to this report.