Under The Radar: Jamel Dean
March 9th, 2026
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.
March 9th, 2026 at 3:14 am
I have never been one to dog Dean
Thing about him is injuries that affect him on the field and injuries that keep him off the field.
It is what it is and we have played the wishing an a hoping game with him long enough
It’s a trap to go with him another year.
Don’t forget that this team was 0-7 going into the last game.
Gonna need to keep a roster with names and numbers early next season
A whole lot of new players….
March 9th, 2026 at 5:19 am
The decision to let Dean go was made last year. No turning back now. Plus 30 and an injury track record that will only get worse. The McCollum contract was idiotic the day they signed it. Stuck with a CB3 talent and a bag of $$$. Parrish looks like good and will continue to develop. Morrison, well 2025 was a redshirt year. Who else we got.
March 9th, 2026 at 7:03 am
Let Dean go sit on the bench for some other team.
March 9th, 2026 at 7:19 am
“Stuck with a CB3 talent and a bag of $$$. Parrish looks like good and will continue to develop. Morrison, well 2025 was a redshirt year. Who else we got.”
Josh Hayes & Damarion Williams. . . .lol
March 9th, 2026 at 7:53 am
I think Dean surprised the Bucs last year. Will he have another good year?. Who knows with his injury bug. However the thought of McColum and Morrison is flat out scary!!. If ME knows they are planning to start those two, I am sure he is gone. So if not Dean, who. The Bucs gambled and lost on Dean , who now has the leverage.
March 9th, 2026 at 8:11 am
I am not comfortable with the secondary, with or without Dean. Yes he is better than a totally unknown quantity-player. But still he does not cause one to have confidence in the secondary. There has been a ceiling on this defense ever since Davis and Dean were the 2 starters. Only when they could both be replaced with actual quality talent that manifests on the field, would the Defense honestly get better. But it has been so long that now the LB’s are depleted, and in need of desperate help too, let alone mustering any kind of semblance of a real pass rush from the front 7.
THE BOTTOM LINE IS UNTIL THIS DEFENSE GENERATES A REAL PASS RUSH IT WILL CONTINUE TO BE STUCK IN 2ND GEAR. WITHOUT A PASS RUSH IT WILL BE RINSE AND REPEAT IN 2026.
TODDS DEFENSE WITH A PASS RUSH WON A SUPER BOWL.
WITHOUT A PASS RUSH HIS DEFENSE WILL BE EXPOSED AGAIN.
HOPEFULLY THIS IS NOT THE CASE IN 2026
GO BUCS!!!!!
March 9th, 2026 at 8:29 am
Nice head bag. When will they show up this year at Ray Jay?
March 9th, 2026 at 10:58 am
Once Licht forced Dean into a paycut ( when all monies had dried up in the FA market ) while topping off Zyon…it was over.
March 9th, 2026 at 11:30 am
This article is a cut and paste from 50 other “Dean” articles. Must be for the new JBF readers.
March 10th, 2026 at 12:30 am
Don’t worry, the Bucs also got rid of their #1 WR and overpaid their #2 on offense, to match what they did with their #1 and #2 CBs on defense.