Drafting Jamel Dean’s Replacement?
March 21st, 2026
“Todd, if only those dopes in the media could see Benjamin Morrison’s bench press.”
When Joe was listening to sports radio on Friday, Joe couldn’t believe his ears. Someone actually thought the Bucs had a good free agency week.
How? Someone explain to Joe how losing the greatest offensive player the Bucs ever drafted, a future Hall of Famer, and their best corner makes a team better?
Yes, Joe is well aware who the Bucs brought in — a Bucky Irving clone, a mid defensive lineman, a double-digit sacks guy (good!) who can’t start (not good) and a good linebacker who, let’s be clear, is not quite Fred Warner.
Having Benjamin Morrison or Zyon McCollum trying to guard receivers in Todd Bowles’ defense with no edge rush and limitless time for the quarterback to throw, well, that will be fun! Not sure how that makes for better football but it will be fun.
The cornerback position scares Joe. Mike Tomlin said it best about a player he may not care for: “I will tolerate you until I can replace you.” Joe isn’t sure the Bucs have Jamel Dean’s replacement.
(Now if the Bucs move Jacob Parrish to outside corner, that’s a different story. As of yet, Joe has not heard that is the plan.)
So yeah, how are the Bucs going to replace Dean? Folicly-challenged Billy Barnwell of BSPN has thoughts.
The solution: Add a cornerback in the draft. The Bucs are going to give Morrison a shot at a full-time job in 2026, which makes sense given that they invested a second-round pick to add the Notre Dame product last season. Given how he played as a rookie, I’d hope that the Bucs add at least one cornerback to compete with Morrison.
GM Jason Licht and coach Todd Bowles have typically trusted their ability to draft and develop defensive backs. With Dean leaving, using a relatively early pick on another corner to either test Morrison or serve as a fourth cornerback would be wise. As a relatively deep team, though, the Bucs lack for star power more than they have glaring weaknesses.
Well, here is the problem with letting Dean go: It’s a domino effect.
With Dean gone, that’s a hole the Bucs did not address in free agency so they have to turn to the draft with pick that likely would have otherwise been used on a more pressing need at inside linebacker and/or edge rusher — not that the Bucs can develop an edge rusher.
Look, Joe has absolutely nothing against Morrison. He may become a fine player. But has he earned a starting gig? Joe would suggest no.
And just because Morrison was hurt at Notre Dame shouldn’t mean that’s a quick pass to a starting gig in the NFL.
The Bucs didn’t need to dig an extra hole by not replacing Dean. That’s how lousy Lovie Smith got run. He unloaded decent defensive starters (who later started for playoff teams); instead of filling holes, he dug several more, including a hole for himself that he couldn’t climb out of.
March 21st, 2026 at 8:06 am
How many games was Dean eligible to play in, and of thise, how many did he miss?
What’s that percentage?
Just curious…for those stat folks in here good at that kind of research.
March 21st, 2026 at 8:06 am
“…that’s how lousy Lovie Smith got run.” Hopefully mediocre Bowles gets run for the same reasons. The sooner the better.
March 21st, 2026 at 8:09 am
Cuz I was thinking, what did we lose with Dean and Evans except 4 injury-susceptible hamstrings.
(That was a rhetorical comment — just having some fun here.)
March 21st, 2026 at 8:12 am
Ephesian Prysock in the 6th……needs some coaching to fix some things but tall and fast.
March 21st, 2026 at 8:12 am
Joe your acting as if the Bucs have only ONE draft pick this year! Of course their gonna address the corner hole…the linebacker hole…and the Dline hole…thats 3 picks…the rest well your guess is good as mine, or Lichts…will they be day one starters?? That’s the rub…tune in next time for another episode of THIRD AND 28
March 21st, 2026 at 8:14 am
“Someone explain to Joe how losing the greatest offensive player the Bucs ever drafted, a future Hall of Famer, and their best corner makes a team better?”
Both of them can’t stay on the field. In Dean’s case, its amazing how he stayed upright and played to his talent in a contract year. Pffffft. As far as Evans, they should have traded him after Brady retired. He has become brittle and stiff as hell, like all of us do around that age. He probably has not even realized it himself. Just watch last years tape of the few games he played in. Stiff, clumsy and awkward movement. Runs to the sideline after every reception to what, catch his breath?
March 21st, 2026 at 8:15 am
Let Todd and Jason dig their own graves. Whatever it takes to get rid of these two. It will be a painful season but hey, it’s not our first.
This organization needs new blood not the same old tired excuses we get every year.
March 21st, 2026 at 8:19 am
We are in a mini rebuild mode. We could eventually be in a full rebuild mode in a few years. All we can do is hope for the best.
March 21st, 2026 at 8:22 am
Oh Noooo. Another wasted draft pick for Bowzo to ruin.
March 21st, 2026 at 8:23 am
You guys are so harsh on Morrison. In the Kyle Williams touchdown he was trying undercut and got tripped up by Tykee. We can’t have ballhawks if they don’t try catch the ball. Of course we’re going to get another corner, but we would have done so irrespective of Dean because he just cannot stay healthy. To say the team has gotten so much worse for losing him is a stretch.
March 21st, 2026 at 8:32 am
NFL dot com just released its newest 4-Rnd draft projection and I’m admittedly lovin the positions they picked for us, although not necessarily who they picked.
o Rnd 1: DT/NT Caleb Banks (6’6″ & 327 lbs). I’d admittedly see us draft Kayden McDonald but Banks will do.
o Rnd 2: MLB CJ Allen (6’1″ & 230 lbs). Would prefer a couple others (like JRod), but Allen will do.
o Rnd 3: Edge Romello Height (6’3″ & 239 lbs). He might end up being a quality Edge, but I think he’s too small (might make a good MLB though with his 4.64 speed). Would rather see us draft a CB or a second ILB here.
o Rnd 4: CB Colin Wright (6’0″ & 188 lbs). We NEED to draft a CB, but not this one. Too many weaknesses.
March 21st, 2026 at 8:51 am
I wouldn’t mind a true shutdown corner at #15. But Licht and Bowles invested a second round pick in Morrison. His play wasn’t great since he missed nearly the entire offseason last year. Bowles has repeatedly said Parrish can play the outside. I like the idea of a true shutdown corner, but the Bucs won’t do it.
I think Morrison can really improve in OTA’s and camp. Parrish might be better on the outside than Morrison, but then who plays nickel? I’m not sure if Morrison has played nickel.
March 21st, 2026 at 9:00 am
Who has Bowles exactly developed and sustained in the defensive backfield, upfield, or ANY field?
March 21st, 2026 at 9:14 am
Still laughing that Joe is whining about ‘losing’ our best CB. The Bucs soured on Dean long ago, drafted multiple reinforcements and then crammed down his contract last season forcing him out. The biggest joke was the hyped McCollum got his bag and played like the RD5 scrub that he is.
We’ve got holes at each level of the D, CB is just one of them. But start in the trenches and build back – DT, Edge, MLB, and then CB. And we need two players at Edge and MLB.
Still waiting for Joe to start hyping this team with, “the Bucs have all this talent” lines when we’re still trying to rebuild a third of the roster.
March 21st, 2026 at 9:15 am
Dean had made up his mind last year when he accepted a pay cut. His biggest liability was his absence on the field. You could be the greatest but you are injured continually for several games a year.
The Bucs knew he would bolt in free agency. It wasn’t a surprise. They will address or maybe not. Jason Licht and staff know what they are doing.
March 21st, 2026 at 9:22 am
“…With Dean leaving, using a relatively early pick on another corner to either test Morrison or serve as a fourth cornerback would be wise.”
– – – – – – – – –
I agree, it would be wise to use an early pick on a CB.
Using a relatively early pick on a ILB is mandatory.
Using a relatively early pick on an EDGE is a necessity.
Using a relatively early pick on a BIG DL has been needed for years.
So there you have our first 4 rounds. To be fair, “IF” JL hit on all 4 of these positions, and “IF” we have very few injuries in 2026, and “IF” our WRs can get open without ME, the Bucs could be very good. But that is a LOT of “IFs”. Oh, forgot the biggest “IF”. “IF” Bowles can step up and show us he is the genius D coach some say he is, like developing his first EDGE rusher. “IF” = hope
I don’t see room in there for a TE, lol. Or a Guard, at least NOT in the first 4 rounds. And we need a 2nd ILB if JL does not sign another one in the second wave of FA soon.
March 21st, 2026 at 9:41 am
Edge, CB, LB in any order for the first 3 picks will do
March 21st, 2026 at 9:41 am
Floated the idea of Kyu Blu Kelly yesterday, and after further review I think he’d be the perfect young vet to come in and push Morrison & McCollum while slightly raising our level of talent.
Give me Kelly, a select draftee, and then pillage the UDFA market for CB talent so that room looks like the kumite through the rest of the off-season program
March 21st, 2026 at 9:46 am
Well, the worst corner tandem in the NFL today. Morrison and McColumn, no doubt. Morrison might develop if on the field who knows, but last year when he played he was awful. He appears to be a big gamble right now. McColumn , he was just plain bad. I don’t get the bored thing. Anyway, does he come back?, another huge gamble. So if you combine the corners with no edge rush and 2 middle LBS needed, clearly you see a defense that will surrender a lot of points. I guess the Bucs are in total defensive rebuild because I see no logic other than that in their plan.
I think Bowles and Licht are working toward getting fired at this point. I see why Evans left, sad plan for the team if you ask me
March 21st, 2026 at 9:50 am
id rather not have massive piles of cash going to players who spend so much time on the sidelines in a t shirt because they’re hurt yet again. Id rather have an offense throw to the open receiver instead of trying to appease one player to get his required yards quota.
the one thing that set evans apart from other similar receivers wasn’t yards from catches, it was his ability to get PI calls and get first downs without even touching the ball. and that skill had been on the decline for the last 3 years. you cant replace the evans of 3 years ago, but the evans of today, that’s not a challenge with the committee of receivers we already have on this team. i would be shocked if evans isn’t trailing at least 2 bucs receivers at the end of the season, if he can even stay on the field.
March 21st, 2026 at 10:42 am
I could see them staying a CB and S in the later to mid rounds. Tykee can cover, and having a safety to eventually take over for Winfield would be a wise move
March 21st, 2026 at 10:43 am
We still need a pass rush!! A pass freaking rush, first and foremost, period. The secondary can be addressed on the second day of the draft and through cuts and free agency. If this team doesn’t bring in additional help upfront, once again cross your fingers Joe and God help us. Both positions complement each other. What we have on the roster right now doesn’t sit well with me. Plus, we aren’t talking about the porcupine in the room. Has our grand coach Bowles learned his lesson on completion percentages on wide recievers and tight ends across the great divide called the middle of the field. If this coach can’t insert players that can cover, forget about it. If he doesn’t become humble and have multiple talks with Zac Robinson about offense exploitation, then we will be nauseous through another humbling and uninspired season.
March 21st, 2026 at 10:46 am
Definitely need a CB in the draft. The problem is that the Bucs like to start rookies and they get destroyed. Bucs need to find a solid veteran for CB because Morrison is not very good at this point.
March 21st, 2026 at 10:55 am
Too bad the Bucs let Izien walk. Kinda of dumb because he could play all positions in the backfield. Licht and Bowles are taking the same stupid trajectory with respect to Free Agents and placing too much trust in the draft.
Waiting for the high fives in the draft room and Jason and his scouts bragging about SB here we come. Waiting to see what overlooked player Jason will draft from a div 3 school. Waiting for the gaslighting and hype for these drafted players who are going to set the NFL on fire. Waiting for Jason and Bowles to take another huge dump this season and finally be fired.
March 21st, 2026 at 11:07 am
I wonder if this is a sign that the Bucs plan on trading back a few spots to pick up an extra pick or two?
March 21st, 2026 at 11:14 am
There are a handful of decent DBs available rounds 2-4 that fit Todd’s MO of 6-2 and 4.45 speed so I wouldn’t draft one in rounds 1 and 2. LB and DT first. Rookie edge players don’t produce for a couple years and our first 3 picks need to starters on defense from day one.
March 21st, 2026 at 11:32 am
Joe … ‘Having Benjamin Morrison or Zyon McCollum trying to guard receivers in Todd Bowles’ defense with no edge rush and limitless time for the quarterback to throw, well, that will be fun!’
It’s not ONLY about Edge rush Joe; pass rush is a LOT more than that. Bucs have already improved by adding Robinson to the interior DLine AND Muhammad as an Edge. The 2 guys they replaced (Hall & Reddick) had a total of 4 sacks & 12 QB hits last season. Robinson & Muhammad had a total of 13.5 sacks & 28 QB hits last season. How is that not already a major improvement?
And we still have the draft. I just hope & pray that the Bucs finally have figured out that their best years on defense recently (2020 & 2021) were when they had a beastly interior DLinethat made the opposing OLine react to them. And yes, that freed up JPP & Shaq to feed much better. We’ve got the Edges right now (in Diaby & Muhammad) to do a LOT of damage IF we finish beefing up the interior of our DLine.
o Rnd 1: Either Ohio State’s Kayden McDonald (6’2″ & 326 lbs) or Florida’s Caleb Banks (6’6″ & 327 lbs) in Rnd 1.
o Rnd 2: Either Georgia’s CJ Allen (6’1″ & 230 lbs) or Texas Tech’s Jacob Rodriquez (6’1″ & 237 lbs) or Texas’ Anthony Hill (6’3″ & 235 lbs) in Rnd 2.
o Rnd 3: Several CBs with excellent speed should be there in Rnd 3. Pick the best one that fits our defense.
o Rnd 4: BPA that’s either an Edge or an ILB.
After that I don’t really care; go BPA every pick in the hopes that some really good player slipped because the other 31 teams were dumber than we are.
March 21st, 2026 at 11:32 am
Rhonde Baber was putrid in his rookie year. I let him know it too, loud and clear from 15th row. My wife & I joke about it to this day. We were on a date. I ended up being wrong about Rhonde, but got it right about my better half. The jury is still out on Morrison, too early to throw in the towel.
March 21st, 2026 at 11:46 am
Relying on the draft to fill a million holes is stupidity in color. Look at out high picks in the recent past. I’m tired of listing them. We need to raid other teams rosters for positions we need. If JL is not hyper active at cut down time the ’26 will be as bad as predicted by everyone here except the homers like Lakeland.
March 21st, 2026 at 11:49 am
Have seen Kenyon Sadiq dropping in many mocks. If this guy is still available at 15, he has to be drafted. See him as ME replacement if he loses 15lbs.
March 21st, 2026 at 11:51 am
Just lose baby lose and say sayonara to Lichtbrain and Bowles. Bucs cannot win with either in charge.
March 21st, 2026 at 11:52 am
Licht may be one of the best at drafting corners. I hope he drafts another.
March 21st, 2026 at 11:54 am
Why did we let Izien walk again?
-David
March 21st, 2026 at 12:07 pm
We drafted Dean’s replacement last year, Morrison. Draft all the corners you want, without a pass rush they’re useless. Seattle won the superbowl up front, not out back.
March 21st, 2026 at 12:10 pm
BucsfaninOregon … ‘Relying on the draft to fill a million holes is stupidity in color.’
A million holes? Nah, too many. But filling 2-3 starting holes per year has been done before … successfully.
o 2018 draft: Vea, RoJo, Davis, Cappa, Whitehead all starters.
o 2019 draft: Devin White, SMB, Dean, Gay all starters.
o 2020 draft: Wirfs, Winfield both starters.
o 2021 draft: JTS, Hainsey both starters.
o 2022 draft: Hall, Goedeke, Rachaad White, Otton, McCollum, Camarda all starters.
o 2023 draft: Kancey, Mauch, Diaby all starters.
o 2024 draft: Barton, Tykee Smith, McMillan, Irving all starters.
o 2025 draft: Egbuka, Parrish both starters.
Just in those 8 drafts, Bucs have gotten 28 starters. Not even mentioning others who started like Britt & SVD (until we figured out they weren’t really starters). There’s some pretty good talent in those 28, as well as in some of the others not mentioned like Nelson, Scotty Miller, Morrison & a number of others. The sky really isn’t falling … yet.
March 21st, 2026 at 12:19 pm
@DR – Just because you start your own crappy players doesn’t mean they are good, no? Give me there PFF rankings and then let’s talk but just because we start guys we drafted doesn’t mean much unless we are winning a lot. Which we are not.
-David
March 21st, 2026 at 1:56 pm
I just did a cool mock that had us taking Will Lee III at CB @77.
Traded down to 19
Ioane
Anthony Hill jr (Jrod was gone)
Lee Hunter
Will Lee III
WR Malachai Fields
TE Jack Endries
QB Cole Payton (a lefty)
Edge Caden Curry
This would be a haul, A++.
March 21st, 2026 at 1:56 pm
Availability: Missed 21 games in 7 seasons (≈3 games per season on average
You cannot depend on him
March 21st, 2026 at 2:31 pm
defense rules, who cares about previous drafts. we are looking at todays roster and the upcoming draft. look forward not backward. we already know the hc sucks, the owners suck, and the gm is approaching sucks. concentrate on defense the 1st 4 or 5 rounds. edge, lb, dt, cb. no sadiq, no wr, no bpa. just defensive needs. i have no idea what madmax is smoking, but looks like his A++ haul should be put in a u-haul and taken to the dump. what a dumb post.
March 21st, 2026 at 2:39 pm
80sBucsfan Says:
“@DR – Just because you start your own crappy players doesn’t mean they are good, no?”
– – – – – – – – – –
80sBucsfan, and no matter how PFF has them ranked doesn’t mean anything either.
You know what matters? Are they still playing or starting in the NFL. F PFF! Davis, Cappa, Whitehead, SMB, Gay, JTS, Hainsey are all still NFL players, most are starting. If you need to criticize JL, its much better to point to his complete failure to pick a stud EDGE, and his ability to do better at picking DL players.
Although, I would ask how much responsibility Todd has in these abject failures. I think a LOT. Do you really think JL picks players for the D that Todd has not given him a FULL green light on???
March 21st, 2026 at 2:41 pm
DR, BTW, I love your draft. Perfect to me. Of course, depending on BPA at the moment we are picking. But your priority is perfect. Beef up that weak azz DL