Getty Ryan Jensen would be an excellent addition for the Chicago Bears' o-line.
Center Ryan Jensen has been in the NFL for eight years, making his first Pro Bowl with the Tampa Bay Buccaneers this year.
The durable offensive lineman has started every game for each of the past five seasons, and now, he’s set to be an unrestricted free agent. Some thought Jensen might take a pay cut to stick around in Tampa to play another year with quarterback Tom Brady, but Brady’s retirement likely changed things.
The Chicago Bears are one of several teams who will be looking for an upgrade at center, and Jensen is one player they could certainly target. With incumbent Sam Mustipher also a free agent, Jensen would be a significant upgrade — and a lot more expensive. All things considered, however, one Bears insider thinks Jensen checks all the boxes for new general manager Ryan Poles in the o-line department.
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Poles Plans to Toughen Up Offensive Line
The Bears’ offensive line led the NFL in sacks in 2021 with 58, and there were multiple glaring moments throughout the season where Fields was left laying on the turf after a sack — and none of his o-linemen bothered to extend a hand and help him up. Poles noticed, and has made it a focal point to fix it.
“If I see my guy on the ground, I’m running over there, getting him up, making sure he’s clean, ready to go,” Poles, who is a former o-lineman himself, told The Athletic. “I don’t know if I saw that enough in the tape that I watched, and that’s critical. And also to protect your guy. If you see something cheap, something dirty, you need to set the tone that that’s not gonna happen, because if you do let it happen once, it’s going to happen over and over and next thing you know, your quarterback is hurt. So that (nastiness) mentality is critical and is something we need to add.”
Insider Kevin Fishbain of The Athletic thinks Jensen would be the perfect piece for Poles and company to add in order to help shift the mentality of the offensive line.
“Jensen would cost a lot, but he has the ‘nasty’ that Poles wants in the offensive line,” Fishbain wrote on February 23.
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What Is Jensen’s Projected 2022 Salary, & Can Bears Afford it?
Over the Cap has Jensen projected to make $10.5 million, while Spotrac has him in the three-year, $30 million a year range, so it’s looking like $10-11 million a year could do it.
The Bears have just over $25.3 million in available cap space, per OTC, and they’ll likely be letting go of some hefty contracts, including those of Danny Trevathan and Eddie Goldman, so if they want Jensen, it could certainly be done.
“I love Ryan,” Brady said about Jensen in November of 2020. “He’s been one of the guys that has been a rock for me. Great teammate, great player, brings it every day. He’s got great energy and enthusiasm, and I love playing with Ryan. I’ve played with a lot of great centers over the years, and Ryan’s just a great player.”
With Fields entering his second season, it’s more critical than ever to shore up his offensive line, and adding a veteran with Jensen’s pedigree and toughness would be a big step in doing that.
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