The veteran has missed all season due to a knee injury

After suffering a knee injury at the beginning of training camp, Bucs center Ryan Jensen is reportedly set to return to the practice fields Wednesday and begin his 21-day practice window after being placed on injured reserve.

This was first reported by Rick Stroud of the Tampa Bay Times.

With the decision, Jensen reportedly becomes eligible to join the team’s active roster as quickly as this Sunday’s game against the Carolina Panthers — a game where the NFC South is up for grabs for Tampa Bay.

Jensen’s injury set the unfortunate tone for injuries throughout the season for the Bucs offensive line. Multiple offensive linemen, including Aaron Stinnie’s season-ending knee injury in preseason, forced the Bucs to shuffle the offensive line multiple times throughout 2022. Starters Donovan Smith and Tristan Wirfs also missed games due to their injuries.

The return of Jensen is certainly good news for Tampa Bay and their offensive line. How effective his return will be for a line that has played well below average throughout this season will be something to monitor closely if he does return to live game action before the end of the season — or a playoff game if they make it.