Unknown BSPNer believes free agent CB Jamel Dean is overlooked.

Joe is not comfortable with how the Bucs’ cornerback situation is shaping up.

For the past 6 1/2 seasons, Jamel Dean was the Bucs’ starting cornerback. He’s had ups and downs but last year Dean, 29, had one of his best seasons since the Bucs drafted him in the third round in 2019, with a career-high three interceptions that included a pick-six. That’s the kind of corner you want to keep, right? Well…

It’s been awfully quiet with news seeping out of One Buc Palace about Dean. If he hits the open market when the free agency legal tampering starting gun sounds at noon today, an Unknown Stenographer for BSPN believes Dean will be a sleeper amid the free agent pool.

Jamel Dean, CB

Dean led the NFL in my cornerback coverage DVOA metric last season, ahead of superstars such as the Texans’ Derek Stingley Jr. and Colts’ Quinyon Mitchell. Cornerback statistics are notoriously inconsistent from season to season, so we don’t know if Dean will have another outstanding season in 2026. But he was above average in 2024 as well. There are two downsides for Dean, however. The first is that he will turn 30 in October, and the second is that he has had injury problems nearly every season.

The Bucs seemed to sour on Dean in 2024. Last summer, they strong-armed Dean into a sign-or-else new contract that forced him into a prove-it deal. Dean proved it.

Joe is a big believer in the famous Raheem Morris saying, “I will tolerate you until I can replace you.” Joe doesn’t know if the Bucs have Dean’s replacement on the roster.

At the combine, Bucs coach Todd Bowles gave no firm indication if he planned to move Jacob Parrish, who appears to be a damn good player, to full-time outside corner. If Bowles does not do that and Dean leaves, your starting corners will be Zyon McCollum and Benjamin Morrison.

Without an edge rush and with those two starting at corner, the burn unit at Tampa General Hospital ought to get a lot of work this fall — Fourth of July repeated nine times.

McCollum fell off the map last year and while Joe has not remotely given up on Morrison, he hasn’t yet to demonstrate he should be gifted a starting gig.

If Bowles moves Parrish to the outside, that’s not a bad move to replace Dean.

Joe saw how lousy Lovie Smith threw plenty of guys off the pirate ship when he arrived to a defense loaded with holes. He made it worse by creating more holes without enough bodies fill them.

The results were predictable and disastrous.

Joe hopes Lovie’s mistakes are not repeated.