Tom Brady will have one of his favorite teammates with him on the field for the first time this season when the Tampa Bay Buccaneers take on the Dallas Cowboys in an NFC Wild-Card Round matchup at home, with Scott Smith of the Bucs' official website reporting that center Ryan Jensen has been activated from the injured reserve.
Ryan Jensen, the Tampa Bay Buccaneers' Pro Bowl center, is back in action. On Monday, the Buccaneers activated Jensen from their injured reserve list, making him eligible to play later that evening in the team's Wild Card playoff game against the Dallas Cowboys. To make room on the 53-man roster, the Bucs waived inside linebacker J.J. Russell.
Jensen has yet to appear in a single snap in the 2022 NFL season. He was supposed to be the starting center right from the start for Tampa Bay, but he suffered a devastating knee injury in training camp just less than a couple of weeks before the season-opener against the Cowboys.
With Jensen expected to make his grand return to action this Monday, the Buccaneers will have someone dependable to ensure elite play at the center position, especially with Robert Hainsey potentially not at 100% form after sustaining a hamstring injury in the regular-season finale versus the Atlanta Falcons on the road back in Week 18.
The Buccaneers signed Jensen to a three-year extension deal back in March 2022 worth $39 million, with Brady egging him to give it another got with him and Tampa Bay.
Tampa Bay beat the Cowboys in Week 1 in Arlington, 19-3.