The Tampa Bay Buccaneers, with Tom Brady back behind center, wrapped up their summer minicamp last week. Thanks to center Ryan Jensen’s punt returning skills, they did it a little earlier than expected.
Head coach Todd Bowles gave his team a proposition late Thursday. If Jensen, the 320-pound anchor in the middle of the team’s offensive line, could catch a single punt from Sterling Hofrichter, the Bucs would end the final day of minicamp without having to go through blitz period. The defining line between going home early and extra workouts was a player with zero career receptions and who hadn’t played a single down of special teams since 2017.
Thanks to a soft kick, Jensen delivered and got a hero’s reception on the practice field.
The best way to end minicamp.@sinjen66 is a LEGEND. pic.twitter.com/QkkGGAgfBo
— Tampa Bay Buccaneers (@Buccaneers) June 9, 2022
Jensen’s catch delighted his teammates and brought Bowles back to the center of the field for some playful ribbing. “You need to start running,” he told Hofrichter. “That was a pooch!”
Bowles is in his first season as head coach in Tampa but previously served as the team’s defensive coordinator over the past three seasons. He was the obvious choice to succeed Bruce Arians after the veteran coach’s unexpected retirement back in March. His rapport with his players to wrap up minicamp suggests the Bucs’ veterans thinks the team made the right decision.
