Jamel Dean A High Commodity
February 2nd, 2023
Coveted.
The Bucs have one huge question on offense. And they have two Joe thinks may be connected on defense.
We know the question on offense is quarterback? Joe is confident the men who have interviewed for the open offensive coordinator position are equally interested.
On defense, the Bucs have one of the better corners in the league, Jamel Dean, expected to hit free agency next month. How good is Dean? Well, Matt Bowen of BSPN has Dean ranked as the No. 8 overall free agent.
Dean has the length and top-end speed to disrupt throwing windows in zone coverage or match down the field against vertical concepts. He fits best as an outside one-third defender in a zone scheme, where he can use his backfield vision to break on the ball. He had double-digit pass breakups in each of his first three seasons, and he finished this season with a pair of interceptions, 45 tackles and eight more breakups. Dean will have multiple options on the market.
Good young corners are hard as hell to find. You rarely see these guys escape their teams. But the Bucs are in a salary cap crunch. Yeah, the Bucs might be able to save a bunch by keeping Sean Murphy-Bunting, who at times has played outstanding ball.
SMB is too inconsistent for Joe to be comfortable handing him the keys to a starting job. Too inconsistent and a little bit brittle, not a great combination for such an important position.
As much as it pains Joe to type this, if you put a gun to Joe’s head (and there are many people who would love that opportunity), Joe would rather keep Dean over Lavonte David, also expected to be a free agent. Joe loves David to death but he’s 33. Dean is 26.
You have to figure there isn’t a long future with David. Dean ought to be starting in this league for years.
February 2nd, 2023 at 4:50 am
Jamel Dean has shown improvement in his play over the course of his career. He has been working to refine his technique and become more disciplined in his coverage, and his hard work has paid off on the field. Dean has become known for his size, physicality, and speed, which have helped him become a valuable asset in the Buccaneers’ defense. He has also been able to stay healthy and play a key role in the team’s success, contributing to their Super Bowl win in the 2020 season.
Overall, Jamel Dean’s improvement can be attributed to his dedication and work ethic, as well as the guidance and coaching he has received from the Buccaneers’ staff. He has become a key player in the Buccaneers’ defense and a rising star in the NFL.
Benefits of keeping Jamel Dean on the Tampa Bay Buccaneers:
• Valuable player in the Buccaneers’ defense, with size, physicality, and speed making him an asset in coverage.
• Maintains continuity in the defense and helps players work together more effectively.
• Retaining talented players sends a message to other players that the organization values its top contributors.
• Helps maintain the team’s competitiveness and winning culture.
• Provides long-term benefits for the defense and the organization.
February 2nd, 2023 at 5:08 am
I believe the loss of either would create holes in our pass defense. White has not shown he has the instincts and pass coverage skills LVD has, IMO.
As for SMB, he played better this year, but not up to Dean’s level, IMO because he doesn’t tackle as well or have quite enough speed to stay up with the elite
receivers in the league.
February 2nd, 2023 at 5:12 am
Still a tough decision either way.
February 2nd, 2023 at 5:18 am
^^ Spot on analysis by LUVMYBUCS. ^^
February 2nd, 2023 at 5:25 am
If I’m Jason Licht, I would carefully weighing the options of retaining veteran linebacker Lavonte David on a team-friendly contract, while also exploring the possibility of trading Devin White and drafting a highly-touted prospect such as Drew Sanders to fill the void at the linebacker position.
February 2nd, 2023 at 5:26 am
If I’m Jason Licht, I would carefully *weigh the options of retaining veteran linebacker Lavonte David on a team-friendly contract, while also exploring the possibility of trading Devin White and drafting a highly-touted prospect such as Drew Sanders to fill the void at the linebacker position.
February 2nd, 2023 at 5:28 am
@ bob in valrico
#Respect
February 2nd, 2023 at 5:39 am
None of this matters! We don’t have quarter back!
February 2nd, 2023 at 5:45 am
It’s one thing to have the size, physicality, n speed but the truth to the matter is knowing how to consistently use those traits. Dean in my opinion is not a top 10 corner. He still plays too stiff. Despite his speed, at time, he’s slow to react to the ball,and for his size,he’s a passive tackler. He’s not a Mashawn Latimore type caliber player.Carlton Dean is our most aggressive corner. I would like to see Don Gardner activated off the practice squad. He has speed n is a consistent aggressive tackler. We need to move on from SMB, he’s too inconsistent, very poor tackler, n lacks speed. Who’s scouting these corners for the Bucs? The following former/present players are all passive tacklers: Ross Cockrell, Pierre Desir/Dee Delaney, SMB.
February 2nd, 2023 at 5:58 am
Joe … Good to see you sticking up for re-signing Jamel Dean. Have no idea IF we can afford him, but I’d much rather build our Secondary around Dean than SMB.
Bucs have 4 high-priced veterans under contract who IMO aren’t pulling their weight for a variety of reasons:
o Shaq: CAP hit – $21.7 mil … dead CAP – $23.2 mil
o Davis: CAP hit – $18.2 mil … dead CAP – $15.7 mil
o Vea: CAP hit – $15.7 mil … dead CAP – $22.6 mil
o White: CAP hit – $11.7 mil … dead CAP – $11.7 mil
That’s a total of $67.3 mil in salary CAP hits for 2023 that we’re stuck for 2023 with because their dead CAP ($73.2 mil) is even more. White’s a FA in 2024, and Davis only has a $3.3 mil dead CAP in 2024, but Shaq & Vea’s dead CAP is still way up there in 2024 so they’re here for awhile.
What that means (I think) is that we could re-sign Dean to a long-term contract with acceptable impact IF we slid most of it to 2024 & beyond (to weather the 2023 storm IOW). The 2 decisions Bucs need to make sooner rather than later are how do Davis & White factor into our long-term plans.
February 2nd, 2023 at 6:09 am
Bowles defense prevents players from maximizing potential. Specially CBs. Bowles needs to be fired and be replaced by Flores .
February 2nd, 2023 at 6:28 am
Keep Dean and David. Trade White. Draft a LB.
February 2nd, 2023 at 6:45 am
Sucks, but Dean will be too expensive. Let him go. Sign SMB if cheap. If not, he can go too. Move White to OL. Keep David as the field general. Draft and sign lesser free agents to fill holes.
February 2nd, 2023 at 6:46 am
Let Dean go. Take the cap hits. Load up the rookies. Roll with Trask. Bowles can either coach (doubtful) or he can’t (likely) so don’t make 2024 and beyond decisions in 2023. If Bowles and Trask fail, ship them out and start fresh in 2024. This is not a plea to tank. They better win 9 games. Just do it with young players.
Let it be.
February 2nd, 2023 at 6:53 am
^^^^…everyone has an opinion…. Some of them we should not entertain!
February 2nd, 2023 at 7:01 am
If we cut durable Donnie do we still have that $15 mil cap hit?
February 2nd, 2023 at 7:14 am
If I was David, I’d get out of town as fast as I could. There are losing seasons in the immediate future.
February 2nd, 2023 at 7:37 am
Re-sign/Tag Dean, Re-sign/Tag Edwards, & let SMB test the market and if he goes he goes. Zion McCollum was drafted to help alleviate this scenario and there’s a pretty intriguing crop of CB talent in this upcoming draft class. Even a few players that fit the long, rangy physique Bowles prefers. We’ll most likely be looking for a nickel back and a safety if we’re talking potentially cutting ties with SMB, Neal & Logan Ryan.
February 2nd, 2023 at 7:38 am
It depends on the QB money…….If we spend it on a QB…..Dean will have to go…..Go with SMB & draft a CB in the first 3 rounds.
If we don’t spend the money on a QB…..keep Dean….let SMB walk & still draft a CB.
Let LVD go and draft a LB…..
I see our first 3 rounds……TE, CB, LB….(not necessarily in that order)
February 2nd, 2023 at 7:44 am
Now that Brady is retired, we are able to push out his cap hit into next year, and our cap issues have drastically improved. There’s no way we don’t look to franchise Dean and get something for him in our rebuild as opposed to letting him walk. We gave up this year’s 4th to get Zyon, let’s roll with him and draft another young player with the pick(s) we get for Dean.
February 2nd, 2023 at 7:49 am
Guys, Bucs brass aren’t gonna just let Dean go test free agency.
He WILL AT THE ABSOLUTE LEAST, be 1st round tendered or franchise-tagged here….
If Dean goes elsewhere, Bucs will get something for him.
February 2nd, 2023 at 7:49 am
Picking our bones clean!
February 2nd, 2023 at 8:02 am
What high priced QB IS there? Jimmy G is the only competent one out there, and he’s a broken foot just waiting to happen. If we stick with Gabbert/Trask, go to the bland offense Bowles clearly wants, we’ll have an extra $20-$30 million to sign these people.
February 2nd, 2023 at 8:14 am
Dean is a good player, but is he worth the probable $10 million + cap hit in 2024?
I’d rather see the Bucs save the $ for Winfield Jr.
Time to start hitting on draft picks JL. Your record the last 2 years has been sketchy.
February 2nd, 2023 at 8:26 am
Wow, I’m seeing a whole lot of numbers and dollar signs flying around on this board. I’m glad you guys are on top of it, cuz this is gonna be a tough choice for Sophie.
I did see someone mention Flores, which I think is an excellent idea. If for nothing else than to be DC and actually get White back on track, improve the conditioning of Vea/team, and better evaluate dline in draft.
February 2nd, 2023 at 9:43 am
Franchise Tag.
February 2nd, 2023 at 10:01 am
I would like to keep Dean. It will be expensive, but worth it. We won’t be able to draft a replacement down at 19 without giving the kid a few years to develop. CB is the hardest position to play well. Very few high draft picks go on to shine in their first year. Draft a CB in the 4th and work with him. We have too many other pressing needs in the trenches.
February 2nd, 2023 at 10:23 am
David is a franchise icon as well as a leader. He should retire as a Buc. Dean is a good player who will be a lot more expensive.
I wanna see how we get enough space under the cap to sign ANYONE.
February 2nd, 2023 at 10:47 am
We might want to look at Tray Lance. 49ers gave up 2 1st and a 3rd.
Who knows what they would take. Looks like they may not need him.
Who knows.
February 2nd, 2023 at 12:05 pm
Dean > SMB or White
February 2nd, 2023 at 12:47 pm
LVD needs to be kept at all costs. He is the most consistent player, and if you get Diva White out of the way via trade, LVD can again be the true leader of the defense, not the fake loud mouth all-talk-no-action crap that Diva White spews before missing another tackle by going too high, or not being able to cover a tight end on 4th down.
Trade Diva and his current and future salary for draft capital, sign LVD and see what’s left for Dean / SMB.
February 2nd, 2023 at 1:01 pm
Yet Bowles decided to NOT play Dean against the Cowboys. Yep, makes perfect sense.
February 2nd, 2023 at 2:06 pm
Beej Says:
February 2nd, 2023 at 8:02 am
What high priced QB IS there?
L Jackson is a free agent.
Carr will be a free agent by Feb 18th, when the Raiders don’t pick up his 72 million option for 2 years.
My guess costs for some QB:
L Jackson 5 years 200m (player opt out after year 2 – trade)
Carr 5 years 140m.
Jones 5 years 120m.
Garoppolo 4 years 90m.
G Smith 3 years 60m.
T Heinicke 2 years 30m.
Mayfield 2 years 20m.
M White 3 years 20m.
Darnold 2 years 10m.
Rest will be 1-year deals.
Wild guess. Please let me know what you disagree with!
February 2nd, 2023 at 2:33 pm
Franchise Tag if we have to.
As many FA players as we have, none are more important than him. In fact, the only other one I would care to re-sign is Nassib if we can get him cheap.
February 2nd, 2023 at 4:56 pm
Trade Cartlon Davis.