Bucs center Ryan Jensen is set to receive plenty of suitors this free agency, but at least one news outlet has him going to the Cincinnati Bengals.
Other than Ravens’ Bradley Bozeman, Jensen presents one of the best options at center, and quality offensive linemen like him are few and far between on the open market. Jensen spent the last four years at Tampa and recently strung together a Pro Bowl performance in 2021, when he played all 17 games for the Buccaneers.
His reliability and strong blocking grades make him a desirable target for nearly every team heading into the 2022 season, but he may have the best odds of landing in Cincinnati.
CBS Sports’ Cody Benjamin predicted landing spots for 25 big-name free agents this offseason and sent Jensen to the Bengals on a three-year, $39 million dollar deal.
"It’s a steep price tag for a 30-year-old center, but Jensen was a nasty bodyguard for Tom Brady, and that’s exactly what the Bengals should want for Joe Burrow, especially with cap space to spare."
CBS Sports predicts Bucs center Ryan Jensen will sign with Cincinnati Bengals for 2022
PFF also sees Jensen joining Bengals in 2022 given that Cincinnati have plenty of money to spend.
By now, everybody knows that the Bengals’ top priority is improving their offensive line, and the team is bound to explore options outside of the draft. The Bengals director of player personnel, Duke Tobin, recently told the media that Cincinnati would indeed scour the market for trench players and has no qualms spending big during free agency or considering trades for potential starters.
Cincy’s current center options are a pair of Treys: Trey Hopkins and Trey Hill, neither of whom performed well enough to guarantee starting spots in 2022.
The Bengals may choose to use an early round pick on a talented prospect like Iowa’s Tyler Linderbaum, but that’s only if Linderbaum somehow miraculously falls to pick No. 31.
Despite Jensen barreling toward the back end of his career, he’d be a prime target for the Bengals who desperately need all the O-line help they can get. If the money’s right, this signing makes 100 percent sense.