Worst Non-Move This Offseason
May 30th, 2026
“I’ll tolerate you until I can replace you” did not apply for Jamel Dean.
Well, “this Joe” is glad to not be the only one wringing hands over Jamel Dean leaving.
Look, Joe’s not a hypocrite. Joe wanted starting cornerback Jamel Dean gone after the 2024 season.
Joe was absolutely frustrated how Dean was always missing games. And even playoff games, Dean couldn’t finish them. If you can’t stay on the field in your team’s most important games, what’s the point?
Dean surprised everyone in 2025 and played really solid ball, maybe the best of his career. And, Dean stayed mostly healthy. Great!
Problem: the Bucs let Dean walk to Pittsburgh, regardless.
Now, Joe knows the Bucs want Benjamin Morrison to play more. He was drafted in the second round for a reason. So yeah, Joe assumes the plan was for Morrison to replace Dean all along. Here’s the hiccup: Did Morrison look remotely ready to be an NFL starter last year?
You can want a guy to start as much as you like but at some point, shouldn’t he demonstrate he’s ready to take over?
Joe’s not trying to rag on Morrison. He may have one helluva NFL career. But Joe didn’t see that coming last year.
Parting ways with Dean may have been premature, unless the Bucs move Jacob Parrish to outside corner, which Joe thinks ought to be the move.
The fact the Bucs let Dean walk and there doesn’t appear to be a ready replacement has Jenna Laine of ESPN worried. She thinks the Bucs’ inability to keep Mike Evans and Dean were the worst Bucs moves of the offseason.
Worst: Failing to persuade either Mike Evans or Jamel Dean to return. It’s never fun to lose franchise stalwarts. And while it’s one thing when a veteran like [Lavonte] David reaches the end of his playing career, the Bucs weren’t able to bring back a pair of players who had put excellent work on film in recent years. Evans was hit by injuries in 2025, but he had one of the most efficient seasons of his career in 2024, when the future Hall of Famer averaged 2.6 yards per route run. Dean posted a 63.1 passer rating in coverage in 2025 while missing just 2.1% of his tackle attempts. The veteran corner should have been a Pro Bowler ahead of alternate selections Nahshon Wright and Keisean Nixon in the NFC.
Well, the Evans deal is cloaked in mystery. Joe has no idea why Evans ran out the back door of One Buc Palace so fast to take a paycut. Man, that door never hit him in the arse.
Remembering how Evans freaked out after the loss to the Dixie Chicks, it smells like Evans was fed up and/or didn’t trust the direction of the team.
That’s the way it looks. And looks can be deceiving. For all Joe knows, Mike Evans’ wife has bad allergies and the local climate had her living with a box of Kleenex in her lap and she just had enough.
Dean would have liked to stay in Tampa. He’s from Cocoa Beach. He owns a local trucking company based in Hillsborough County.
The Bucs apparently didn’t want Dean.
It gave Joe flashbacks to Raheem Morris who famously said, “I will tolerate you until I can replace you.” If the Bucs are planning to start Parrish at corner to replace Dean, well, OK fine. If the plan is to promote Morrison. Well, Joe has an issue.
Hey, maybe with an opportunity to start, Morrison will blow up in training camp? Only time will tell.
May 30th, 2026 at 8:05 am
Why are we always quoting Raheem Morris as if he’s Bill Parcels or something? Who gives a crap about any philosophy Raheem Morris has?
May 30th, 2026 at 8:12 am
Dean couldn’t stay on the field and Evans is in the twilight of his career. The Bucs offered Mike more money than the 49er’s. That’s on Evans. He chose to leave. He’s injury prone and aging and coming to the end of his career.
Stop blaming the Bucs. The story is over.
May 30th, 2026 at 8:12 am
There comes a point it is time to say goodbye to a player be it, Money, Injuries history and Player Head case issues. This one was 2out of the 3. Could never count on him being there. Came across as Soft-always watching to so if got hurt on any play in his vicinity. Let’s hope Todd can work his magic lol and really develop one of these DB’s and/or hit a Home Run on the Miami DB. Go BUCS!!
May 30th, 2026 at 8:15 am
The cited article was written by Bill Barnwell, not Jenna Laine.
May 30th, 2026 at 8:19 am
Had Evans not left, I suspect the Bucs never draft hurst who I believe could be the steal of the draft. A rift developed between Evans and the organization and will find out at some point in the future what it was.
May 30th, 2026 at 8:22 am
He wasn’t going to retire a Bucs. He was going to leave eventually. The end of Mike Evans career as a Buc was going to happen. It just happened earlier than expected.
May 30th, 2026 at 8:34 am
Yawn. ME wants to be number one and he saw the writing on the wall with the receiving corp. That’s cool. I respect that he took less money so that he can pad his HOF resume. I get it. Good luck. Jamal, my how short the memory goes. Whine that they keep him. Whine that they let him walk. Sounds like a typical fan. I’m betting that both positions will be just fine.
May 30th, 2026 at 8:36 am
Eyeball test from a drunk guy sitting on his couch on Sundays in the fall. Morrison didn’t look bad at all with the exception of a couple of plays. I attribute that to the Mensa level of difficulty in Bowles overly complicated defense. Morrison showed me that he is quick to trigger to the ball and is not afraid to stick his face in the fan. A year off to rest and recover – I’m not too worried about him.
May 30th, 2026 at 8:37 am
Both Guys were injured and old….. it is FINE Joe
May 30th, 2026 at 8:40 am
You know who else didn’t look remotely ready to start.in NFL as a rookie? Rhonde Barber. Morrison was drafted in the 2nd for a reason and it’s too early to stress over his play. He was behind the eight ball last year from the jump with a bad hammy. Letting Dean walk was a good move, and ME did the Bucs a favor by bolting to SF. That allows EE & JMac to flourish alongside Godwin. Too many mouths to feed if Evans stuck around, and he knew it. SF WR room needed him, the Bucs didn’t.
May 30th, 2026 at 8:42 am
Agree, Dean was too fragile n always a got juked by Brandon Ayuk with a trip or fall away from being out several games. Dean was a liability who dropped too many potential ints right in the breadbasket. Remember the Bucs Lions playoff game when he could’ve proved he was elite during crunch time but failed to do so. He does not know how to hold on to the ball or use his height n speed n is a passive tackler for a player his size. During his rookie year, he played similar to Morrison. After 7 years of mediocrity fragile Dean, it was time to try something new. Watch his tapes n in multiple games,at times he plays confused as if he’s a rookie.
May 30th, 2026 at 8:48 am
Mike and Dean couldn’t stay on the field. LVD lost 2-3 steps. Time to get younger and faster. I’m ok with that. We just need another vet CB and LB for depth. I’m really excited to see how Hurst develops. In the NFL everyone eventually gets replaced
May 30th, 2026 at 8:48 am
Well Joe, imo, you just outlined all that is subpar with our GM. Sure, he’s a great scout and has the luck of a leprechaun (see Bain, BA’s desire for a swan song on a stacked team [credit JL for that] in a warm climate, and Spytek’s bro Brady), but he lacks in leadership, timing, and urgency. He pays guys top dollar when unproven or injured/injury-prone (Davis, Goedeke, McCullem, Dean….) and lets them slip away like some confused old man looking for his glasses when proven, he refuses to resign productive backs, disappears when times are tough (every swoon and the end of this season) and blathers on like a school girl at prom about his draft picks (Braswell, Walker, Bain…) before they even suit up. He has some weird honesty issues (Jensen/Wirfs/Bucky injuries, closeness with Evans, Baker contract- imo, it looks like Baker won’t be signed until the bye…). Forget about a trade deadline move or a legitimate coach search from Jason Licht, but do expect cheesy a saying printed on the wall (I am that man) and then backpedaling when you realize your formula for “that man” includes your own passivity.
May 30th, 2026 at 8:53 am
Why are we acting like ME13 reasons for leaving are some vast mystery???
It’s plain as day if you open your eyes. Bowles is a terrible HC\DC.
Evans had enough of the never ending excuses and the defense never improving.
Plus, he wanted a QB capable of completing a pass to win games in the playoffs.
He now has a much better HC and QB. They’ve actually been to the SB.
Todd thinks the NFC South crown is the SB.
May 30th, 2026 at 8:53 am
Dean was our most talented CB since Carlton Davis was traded. But Dean was not reliable, both with injuries and from my seat taking plays off. It was time for him to go. It was the right move.
May 30th, 2026 at 9:00 am
Of course the Buc’s are putting Parrish at outside corner. That’s why they drafted K. Scott to play Nickel. Morrison will have to beat out McCollum for a starting role.
May 30th, 2026 at 9:04 am
Anything is better than the bored Zyon.
May 30th, 2026 at 9:05 am
Yes Joe I believe you are dead on when it comes to Dean and Morrison. However, you missed the bigger problem. McColumn. Yes the Bucs should not have let Dean go. Yes last year he was pretty good and far better than Morrison or McColumn.The next issue is that the Bucs did not replace Dean. They are truly gambling and it may bite them you know where. Morrison may or may not develop. We know this thus far he has been injury prone and sorry, last year when when he play he was often abused. I did not see where he played well at all. McColumn, he is even worse because the fact he has not develpoed likely means he won’t.
I am not sure what the Bucs ar thinking about their secondary. However it reminds me of how they approached the LB position last year. They were in fantasy land. I think the same is about to happen with the CB position. I see a lot of points being surrended in the passing game with this defense.
May 30th, 2026 at 9:15 am
Thing with Dean is he is the classic example of “hope” and not reliability. Oddly, he always did good when he needed a contract. And he always seems to play lazy when he is comfortable. I liked Dean the teammate/glue guy in the locker room Seemed to have good energy. Never cared for him on the field because he always seemed like he was looking to come off the field.
Maybe the young guys will suck. What difference does it make because I thoroughly believe if Dean has a contract with more than a yr on it he is going to be often hurt and not play too much. He just had that “soft” appearance to his play on the field.
May 30th, 2026 at 9:36 am
When yuge money was on the line, Dean performed. THAT gives me pause. At any rate, you MUST have a fair % of your roster on rookie contracts. Remember a few months back when all the talk was about how many Bucs make $8 million+ per year? Got rid of 3 of those
May 30th, 2026 at 9:57 am
The Bucs will regret not bringing in a veteran CB, just like how they regret not bringing in a competent ILB a couple years ago. Jason Licht is always shopping in the bargain bin for potential starters.
May 30th, 2026 at 10:02 am
I agree with front-four. It was no secret that this team (especially the defense) had a lot of quitters. Very hard to watch veterans take plays off! Game day film now exposes everyone, both good and bad. I really hope the organization was able to rid itself of all of these players. It only takes one to ruin a team!
May 30th, 2026 at 10:02 am
Steve loves to sow the narrative that we don’t know why Evans left. It wasn’t money, it wasn’t Baker and targets, so what could it be? We all know.
I think Dean was soft and never played hurt. If he stubbed his toe, he’d run off the field. What did his teammates think about his toughness and desire to win? Of course, with his impending departure last season, he played more than usual. i’m happy he’s gone. Parrish should be good filling in for him.
May 30th, 2026 at 10:34 am
Why are we acting like ME13 reasons for leaving are some vast mystery???
It’s plain as day if you open your eyes. Bowles is a terrible HC\DC.
————–
Only the stupids think otherwise. Evans has been nothing but a class act while he was a Buc. He did not leave to ‘pad his stats’. Evans only wants to win and like you said he clearly didnt believe in this garbage @$$ coach anymore. I dont blame him at all.
May 30th, 2026 at 10:35 am
Why are we acting like ME13 reasons for leaving are some vast mystery???
It’s plain as day if you open your eyes. Bowles is a terrible HC\DC.
————–
Only the stupids think otherwise. Evans has been nothing but a class act while he was a Buc. He did not leave to ‘pad his stats’. Evans only wants to win and like you said he clearly didnt believe in this garbage coach anymore. I dont blame him at all.
May 30th, 2026 at 10:38 am
Don’t get the crying over spilled Dean. Licht decided to jettison him after the’24 season. Insulted the man. Renegotiated the contract to lower his salary by what, 70%?, and shortened it by a year. Can’t cry about losing a player who you basically cut.
May 30th, 2026 at 10:48 am
At deans age, there’s no becoming more limber. He’s only going to have more injuries. Maybe he has a good year, but I’m willing to wager if he plays the next three years, it will only be something like 25 games MAX
May 30th, 2026 at 11:02 am
Mike Evans leaving is huge compared to Dean. Not even in same conversation.
Biggest non-move with Dean is when we kept him over Carlton Davis III. Should have shipped Jean to Detroit and kept Davis.
May 30th, 2026 at 11:13 am
I’m just curious about the Steelers-Bucs personnel exchanges during the off-season. Never thought of them as trading partners and the movements seem independent and coincidental. May prove interesting to follow, though.
May 30th, 2026 at 11:17 am
Lou nailed it. Dean knew his time in Tampa was coming to an end long before the first game of the 2025 season was played. It was either take a pay cut or get cut / traded before the season started. Taking the pay cut meant he could control where he would end up in 2026.
May 30th, 2026 at 11:20 am
Yeah they dumped a guy that couldn’t stay on the field for a guy that is a lighter, smaller, bored version of JTS. Out of the frying pan and into the fire. Jason basically dumped Davis, disrespected Dean and then dumped him. With nothing to show for it. Both Bowles and Licht are dumb, hope they will be gone after this season.
May 30th, 2026 at 11:50 am
Joe isn’t “always” quoting Raheem Morris. Can’t think of another quote he had that was relevant or that Joe ever uses.
But this quote, “I will tolerate you until I can replace you” hits home for Joe.
Tell Joe where Morris was wrong there?
Lovie Smith was always trying to replace people he didn’t have replacements for. Brilliant strategy, no?
May 30th, 2026 at 12:28 pm
P.S.: That’s not where your hamstring is at!
May 30th, 2026 at 12:29 pm
OOPS, wrong article.
May 30th, 2026 at 12:31 pm
I think Morrison is going to prove his worth as a 2nd rounder this year. Dean got hurt just tripping over his own shadow when he was repeatedly beat for a TD.
May 30th, 2026 at 1:03 pm
Also, for all we know, this would’ve been a Dean “miss 40% of the games” kinda season again had Dean resigned with us.
May 30th, 2026 at 1:06 pm
Trust the process.
There are loads of Hall of Famers who didn’t start fast year 1.
Plus, Morrison didn’t have an Offseason.
Now he is healthy and ready to work.
It’s not like he had to learn the defense all over again like most wanted.
I think he and Parrish are gonna ball out.
It’s Zyon Im most worried about.
He needs a Keonte Scott type of attitude with his athleticism and he doesn’t have that. If he can’t find it, I think it’s the worst signing Licht has done.
No way is Zyon worth $15 Million right now.
May 30th, 2026 at 1:33 pm
I don’t think McCollum was THE worst JL signing EVER, but there was still absolutely ZERO reason for extending him that early. Especially, when he didn’t even have to. He could’ve saved the Bucs a TON of money, by just waiting until the end of the season. Or, later. I just hope to GOD that he ‘balls-out’ this season though, so that WE CAN ‘move him’ at deadline, if the opportunity presents itself. Right now, he is unmovable.
May 30th, 2026 at 1:48 pm
Then, the Reddick move… JUST to make a move. Thennnn, the Godwin move. We could’ve EASILY been ‘in’ on the “Micah Parsons Sweepstakes,” had we just been patient, and NOT made such boneheaded moves (and just be making moves). Especially, adding into the equation about the future salary cap with the upcoming CBA and new tv-deal. You gave to be a lot more shrewd and calculating with the timing and everything… So, that you can put yourself in the best position possible, to be ready to POUNCE when the ‘right time’ comes. Eventually, something WILL happen with the right player/move to make for your future. Hell, we could’ve OFFERED UP McCollum as part of the deal even, while saving us a TON in the process. We could’ve made a MUCH stronger offer than what the friggin’ Packers ended up giving up for him.