Jamel Dean A Top-10 Corner
October 30th, 2025
“Don’t make a scene.”
Joe admits to being done with Jamel Dean. The Sage of Tampa Bay sports, JoeBucsFan.com columnist Ira Kaufman, was even ordering a U-Haul for Dean.
Funny thing happened along the way to the 2025 season. Dean lost weight, he studied catching and found a way to translate that to the football field, and he seems to be playing his best ball since the Bucs’ Super Bowl-winning season of 2020.
Don’t believe Dean is playing well? The folks at official NFL NextGen Stats have data proving Dean is one of the stickiest corners in the league.
Dean has taken a star turn in Year 7. His three interceptions have drawn attention, but there’s much more under the hood that demonstrates how much of a terror he’s been for Todd Bowles’ aggressive defense. Dean has allowed just 18.8% of targeted receivers against him to get open (tied for seventh-lowest, min. 20 targets), helping him to allow a completion percentage of just 45.5% (tied for fifth-lowest). He has allowed a passer rating of 22.8, which is 9.4 points lower than any other cornerback in the last eight seasons.
While Dean’s historic 2025 performance marks a major turnaround from his results in previous years, there were certainly signs of progress prior to this season. Consider that he hasn’t allowed a touchdown completion since Dec. 24, 2023 — covering a span of 741 coverage snaps (that’s the second-longest streak in NFL). Since last season began, he has been targeted on just 12.0% of his zone coverage snaps while forcing tight windows on 40.0% of his targets in man coverage.
Joe’s biggest issue with Dean was being unable to bank on him in a season’s most important games (playoffs). In the past four Bucs’ playoff games, Dean was not on the field in the fourth quarter if he even suited up.
If you can’t bank on a guy in the postseason, what’s the point? But through eight games this season, Dean has only missed one start (and most of another game).
If Dean stays healthy and continues to ball out, how do you let the guy walk out the door come March?
October 30th, 2025 at 8:08 am
We aren’t gonna give him $20+ million for 2-3 years, but I’m sure someone will
October 30th, 2025 at 8:11 am
Happy for him, it will help with his next contract with his new team. I have never been a Dean basher and understood the big picture and why it looked as if things were his fault.
That said it’s time to move on with younger drafted CB’s
October 30th, 2025 at 8:13 am
How can you be a top 10 CB if you only available for half the season?
October 30th, 2025 at 8:15 am
Joe, if someone pay Dean top 10 dollars for his position, does that equate to a 3rd round compensatory pick?
October 30th, 2025 at 8:26 am
Might actually be the best time to trade him.
Proud of him for getting in shape though.
Hopes he continues to play this way if we keep him.
October 30th, 2025 at 8:33 am
I dont think its a lock Dean leaves after the season…
i think the pressure of playing under a big money contract mightve been getting to him…less money and quality competition seem to have done wonders for Dean…
either way, i’ve always been a fan of his since his Auburn days…happy to see him succeeding!!!
6-2!!!
GO BUCS!!!!
October 30th, 2025 at 8:40 am
Joe … ‘If Dean stays healthy and continues to ball out, how do you let the guy walk out the door come March?’
Beej … ‘We aren’t gonna give him $20+ million for 2-3 years, but I’m sure someone will’.
Perfect answer Beej. We’ll probably never know why Jamel chose to re-do his contract & lose mega-millions in the process, but I suspect there was the threat of an immediate trade in there & Jamel didn’t want to go that route right now. Next year though? Different story, and he’ll be in the driver’s seat for getting one last big contract.
October 30th, 2025 at 8:44 am
The answer to your last question is, You don’t. He knows the system and we need depth at CB. You NEVER let a good CB leave, although we let Carlton Davis get away. That was a mistake then and it would be a mistake now to let Dean move on if he continues his solid play.
October 30th, 2025 at 8:45 am
“Dean has taken a star turn in Year 7.” Well crap…not what do we do? Dean’s on his out the door to the highest bidder.
October 30th, 2025 at 8:49 am
Love Dean, but if he keeps this play up you let him walk in a heart beat unless he wants to play in a one year deal or franchise tag. It is not a coincidence he is balling out and voided his last year of contract while taking a pay cut, he knows what he’s doing and kudos to him! But I will take the best season of his career for peanuts in 2025 and let the young Bucs next year rise up. Prbly get a comp pick for him the way he’s playing so let him ball out and get paid by someone else! All Love Deanie
October 30th, 2025 at 8:58 am
Dean’s replacement is already on the roster in the form of Ben Morrison. Trade Dean for Hendrickson?
October 30th, 2025 at 8:58 am
If Dean stays healthy – Licht probably offers him a 1 year deal for $12-13M.
And depending on what other offers are and from whom – Jamel may just decide to take less to stay here in Tampa Bay – where he knows the defense fully and can thrive in it.
October 30th, 2025 at 9:09 am
“We’ll probably never know why Jamel chose to re-do his contract & lose mega-millions in the process, but I suspect there was the threat of an immediate trade in there & Jamel didn’t want to go that route right now.”
“I’m comfortable here. It’s really not about the money anymore,” said Dean. “I’m like ‘I’m not in the mood to try to figure out a whole new system and city, like I did my rookie year.’ It saved me a headache.”
-Jamel Dean on why he took the pay cut.
I’m with Pickgrin, I think its as likely Dean re-signs with us than leaving at the end of the year and it’s within the realm of possibility that w/e money he lost in the contract re-structure could be re-imbursed in lesser increments and something Dean was aware of upon being asked to do so. We really don’t know, but another BIG influence on Deans’ future as a Buc might have a little bit to do with his surrogate-football dad being our HC.
October 30th, 2025 at 9:36 am
Ball out and stay healthy for us please this year…and then go get paid by someone else like Carlton
October 30th, 2025 at 9:55 am
In this case the bucs were damned if they do damned if they dont. they haven taken concrete steps to move forward and beyond and its fine by me.
he could just as well miss a bunch of games this year, still time for his brittleness to show up again….
October 30th, 2025 at 9:56 am
His strategy seems to be stay far enough away from receivers that he isn’t “targeted”.
October 30th, 2025 at 9:58 am
He took a paycut
I like how our DBs are being rotated fresh legs
Don’t be surprised he sticks around
He like Tampa and coach too
October 30th, 2025 at 10:01 am
Pickgrin Says:
October 30th, 2025 at 8:58 am
“If Dean stays healthy – Licht probably offers him a 1 year deal for $12-13M.”
I like this idea.
Dean doesn’t want to leave. He loves it in Tampa. I’m assuming knowing the Bucs drafted potential replacements sent him a message.
Trading him right now is a horrible idea. We could be the team of destiny this year. Getting rid of a baluable player at this stage would not be a smart move, not with the defense finally clicking.
The offense carried the team most of the season. They started to struggle and the moment was right for the defense to start playing well. Yes, the Saints are a bad team, but they were also a confidence builder for the defense. They now know what they are capable of.
After the bye, we have 2-3 tough games. We’ll be healthier coming out of the bye, and if we can stay healthier for that span, and win at least 2 of them, we’ll be set.
We’re due a 13-4 season, but it is very possible for ewe do better.
October 30th, 2025 at 10:26 am
Bonzai … ‘Dean doesn’t want to leave. He loves it in Tampa. I’m assuming knowing the Bucs drafted potential replacements sent him a message.
Agree with everything you wrote Bonzai, but there’s 1 part missing … WHY? As in ‘WHY did Jamel Dean renegotiate his contract?’ Jamel had a contract that was paying him $13 mil per year one day, then the next day he was making roughly $5.3 mil (assuming he makes the $1 mil incentive). So he took a pay cut of almost $8 mil. I’ll ask again … WHY?
Obviously renegotiating his contract wasn’t Jamel’s idea. Duh. The only thing that makes any sense whatsoever is that JL pressured him, and the only pressure that makes any sense is the threat of an immediate trade. We had already drafted Morrison & Parrish (Jamel’s replacement was onboard IOW).
Dean’s playing better right now IMO because he’s healthy. He wasn’t healthy these past 2 years (take a look at how his stats plummeted in 2023 & 2024; he was never close to 100%). Some team will offer him $20 mil plus if he continues like he is. It won’t be the Bucs. Morrison & Parrish are the future, along with McCollum. Too many other mouths to feed.
October 30th, 2025 at 10:28 am
Too injury prone and not always consistent that his problem
October 30th, 2025 at 10:36 am
This man earned a two year contract with 1 of those years guaranteed.
October 30th, 2025 at 10:37 am
He can end up being the number 1 corner at the end of the year and i wouldnt resign him unless he would accept 13 M or so. I mean this is year 7 and now that hes in a contract year he wants to start playing well ? that and the fact hes not very durable would make me very weary of signing him to a long term deal worth 70M or more
October 30th, 2025 at 10:40 am
All I know is he snapped out of his regression and has been playing better. Keep it up.
October 30th, 2025 at 10:51 am
Keep him on 1 year deals if you can. That seems to motivate him.
October 30th, 2025 at 11:18 am
You guys are so Ignor…….. That is the Business. You Ball out the final year of your contract to have bargaining stats to base your contract on with the your current or new team. Simple as that. Ball out and get paid. Go Bus……keep Jamel Dean. Franchise tag or 1 year new deal . Go Bucs. 13/14 wins ?
October 30th, 2025 at 1:04 pm
It is a long year. I hope he balls out and stays healthy but I have a hard time believing that Dean will remain injury free. As spoken earlier by Lt Dan, we already have a CB on the roster who that can replace Dean.
October 30th, 2025 at 1:23 pm
I’m glad Dean is playing well, but I’m also rooting for Parrish. These young guys on defense are starting to slowly mature. The newcomers are watching it. They’re also very aware that all-world players like LVD (chairman of the defense) are set to retire. I wish Dean the best, and hope he stays healthy. I am so sick of injuries!!! Go Bucs and get healthy while you’re at it!!!!
October 30th, 2025 at 1:29 pm
jamel has re-seized the #1 CB spot on the team as of rn
October 30th, 2025 at 2:12 pm
“As spoken earlier by Lt Dan, we already have a CB on the roster who that can replace Dean.”
This is what I kept hearing all offseason, and it still hasn’t happened at least not full time. Furthermore, you can never have too many good CBs, Dean is playing well he’s not going to get unseated unless BMorrison can play better. Morrison has looked good in spare time, but it’s not like he’s playing better than a healthy Jamel Dean at least not right now.
October 30th, 2025 at 2:25 pm
Yeah top 10 of the 10 worst in the league maybe. He’s afraid to make contact and too tackle. The man has fear in his heart on the field. Peanut Brittle Dean is his name
October 30th, 2025 at 2:59 pm
Hope the Falcons or Panthers sign him to 28 mil a year deal
October 30th, 2025 at 3:04 pm
🤣🤣🤣👏🏾👏🏾👏🏾👏🏾👏🏾🤣🤣🤣he’s not a top ten bye✌🏾
October 30th, 2025 at 3:11 pm
“🤣🤣🤣👏🏾👏🏾👏🏾👏🏾👏🏾🤣🤣🤣he’s not a top ten bye✌🏾”
Finished last season as the 17th best CB out of the entire NFL
Right now, rated as the BEST CB in the NFL lol
some of yall are so handcuffed to your perceptions you parody reality lol
October 30th, 2025 at 3:46 pm
Must be a result of Todd’s cover no one Swiss cheese super soft zone…. 🤣🤡
Great job Jamel and great job Todd and his assistants 😎
October 30th, 2025 at 3:53 pm
I’m not hand cuffed to ish. I back pedaled before, he’ s not a top ten corners.
October 30th, 2025 at 3:54 pm
And keep your stats
October 30th, 2025 at 6:09 pm
Some really great coaching and playing. Well done guys.
October 30th, 2025 at 6:10 pm
Dean’s always been an excellent tackler that really has not be addressed either.
October 30th, 2025 at 8:13 pm
Amazing how much better he looks, and how much better the defense looks, when they’re not just standing around in that soft zone trash.
As for the idiots who constantly whine about Dean, they’re literally morons who don’t know what they watching, don’t know how zone works, thinks Dean is getting beat when players are being handed off.
Dean, like Carlton Davis, were drafted to be man cover corners, and they both look dramatically better in that scheme. If you’re going to play zone, at least make it a tight zone, and Bowles has spent years not even doing that, instead just that super soft nonsense that makes every QB look like a first team ALL-PRO.
October 30th, 2025 at 9:54 pm
I don’t think you want Dean creeping up in run support so he can pad his stats with more tackles if he’s more valuable as a sticky cover guy. If teams start throwing away from Dean then he’ll never be mistaken for a volume tackle machine like our safeties or off-ball linebackers. Normally defenders who aren’t near the point of attack aren’t getting the eye-popping tackle numbers, but from the few tackles they have, they better not allow guys to break tackles and run to the green open spaces. Dean does tackle folks that he is covering and his lifetime 4.5% miss tackle rate is more than indicative that he is a sure tackler. Both Winfield and David are volume tacklers and they both have lifetime average tackles per season above 100 but also have averaged above 8% miss tackles or nearly twice as much as Dean. The guys who played opposite Dean in the other boundary or slot or deep middle faired much worse, like McCollum (10.7% MTkl), Carlton Davis (12.2% MTkl as a Buc), SMB (13.8% as a Buc), Jordan Whitehead (11.2% as a Buc), with only Mike Edwards (7.6% as a Buc) being in shouting distance in being a sure tackler.
Guys in the boundary playing the pass and will never get a lot of tackling opportunities due to their primary responsibility to cover WRs. The last TD Dean was credited with giving up was actually 12/29/2024 in a 48-14 win against Carolina and his 2nd most recent was 11/19/2023 in a loss @SF 14-27. Dean also averages 64 tackles a season, compared to the list of other top 10 shutdown corners by average tackles per season: Surtain II (60), McDuffie (73), Q. Mitchell (53), Sauce Gardener (62), D. Lenoir (71), A.J. Terrell (68), D. Stingley Jr (58), C. Gonzales (67) and T. Still (72). Dean is middle of the pack for a cover corner of his caliber. I think it would be premature to let him walk. If his play culminates with the Defense making noise in the playoffs and possibly the Superbowl, he deserves his fair market value for multiple seasons, and stay on as the Dean of the secondary for a few more seasons.