Bucs Gameday

Buccaneers Activate Ryan Jensen Ahead of Wild Card Game Against Cowboys

The news the Tampa Bay Buccaneers were hoping to get, and the Dallas Cowboys were hoping to avoid.

David Harrison

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Tell every Tampa Bay Buccaneers fan you see: Center, Ryan Jensen, is back!

With a deadline of 4 p.m. on Monday to determine whether or not they'd officially activate Jensen for their primetime Wild Card matchup against the Dallas Cowboys, the Bucs decided 10 a.m. was as good a time as any to announce the move. 

"The Tampa Bay Buccaneers today activated center Ryan Jensen from Injured Reserve," a press release from the team simply announced. 

READ MORE: Wild Card Monday Night Football Predictions

Jensen has been on injured reserve since September 1st, after injuring his knee during a training camp drill earlier in the preseason. 

Since then, Robert Hainsey has shifted from guard to center in order to fill the gap, and the Tampa Bay offensive line has looked shaky at best for much of the season. 

Still, the Buccaneers were able to squeeze out enough wins - despite earning quarterback Tom Brady his first losing season as a starter - to win the NFC South Division and earn a playoff spot. 

Fox Sports' Carmen Vitali reported after the announcement that not only is Jensen active, but he is expected to play against the Cowboys. 

Even further, he's expected to play center, after some outside speculation that perhaps the team would keep Hainsey in the position for continuity. 

READ MORE: Tom Brady on Relationship Between Quarterback and Center

With guard Nick Leverett (knee/shoulder) doubtful for the contest, it's likely Hainsey would slide over to the left guard, where he was expected to challenge for playing time prior to Jensen's injury. 

This week the Bucs have talked about being healthy, and it looks like they just got a big dose of it, with the return of their starting center.

Stick with BucsGameday and the Locked On Bucs podcast for more coverage of the Tampa Bay Buccaneers throughout the season.

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David Harrison
DAVID HARRISON

David Harrison has been in sports media since 2015 using written, audio, and video media to cover athletes, coaches, and games. In addition to covering the Tampa Bay Buccaneers for BucsGameday and Locked On Bucs he also covers the Washington Commanders for Commander Country and Locked On Commanders and the Washington Wizards for Inside the Wizards. David also covers the NFL as a whole as one of the Friday hosts for Locked On NFL. He is a graduate of the Walter Cronkite School of Journalism at Arizona State University and previously spent 20 years as an active member of the United States Army. Contact David via email at david.w.harrison82@gmail.com or on Twitter @DHarrison82.