Is Jamel Dean Secure At Left Corner?
October 10th, 2023
Pushing for playing time?
Boy, these comments were odd to Joe.
Yesterday, Bucs outside linebackers coach Larry Foote was made available to the local pen and mic club as things began to get back to normal at One Buc Palace after a bye week.
While Foote isn’t the defensive coordinator, he is speaking on behalf of the entire defense when he does take the podium at One Buc Palace. He was asked about the play of second-year corner Zyon McCollum, specifically in the wake of Jamel Dean missing time with an injured shoulder.
Dean had a strong game against the Vikings to open the season and not so much against the Bears. He was hurt halfway through the game against the Eagles.
Foote seemed to indicate that Dean’s starting job is not etched in stone whenever he can return. It just as easily could be McCollum.
“You can’t ever have too many corners,” Foote said of McCollum. “He is a second-year guy. He’s improving from year one – you guys see that already in just the four games.
“I’m quite sure we’ve got roles for all of [those] guys. When [Jamel] Dean gets back healthy…Let the best man win.”
Well, that’s not exactly saying the Bucs are leaving Dean’s seat warm for him. Cornerbacks coach Kevin Ross made a similar comment on the Buccaneers Radio Network last week. Todd Bowles also talked about getting McCollum on the field more.
Are coaches trying to encourage McCollum to continue to improve with a carrot at the end of the stick for more playing time?
Just a year after signing a big contract, would the Bucs would be willing to bench Dean, after only one not-so-great game?
October 10th, 2023 at 8:49 am
Good, I like that attitude.
You think all those years that teams like the Ravens or 49ers great defenses they just allowed the starter to remain the starter. Competition matters and let the guy playing better get the most and most important snaps.
The truth with cornerbacks in the NFL is that as a group, they get injured across the league. Usually not a lot of season ending injuries but always seem to missing a couple of games to 6 games in a season. That is not just a Buccaneer thing. That is a NFL thing.
So, we will need them all this year.
October 10th, 2023 at 8:50 am
Zyon is going to get his first Int this weekend.
October 10th, 2023 at 8:53 am
Ngl Dean doesn’t seem hungry
October 10th, 2023 at 9:00 am
Dean always starts the season slow. Either competition is good and beneficial or it is not. If someone is playing better, then you play him. It is about winning. Can’t worry about peoples feelings. They are getting paid too damn much to have feelings.
October 10th, 2023 at 9:00 am
@Geno711
“The truth with cornerbacks in the NFL is that as a group, they get injured across the league.”
Do we suppose this is because DB’s are the smallest guys on the field? That would seem to be the answer unless perhaps you’ve discovered another reason.
Great observation.
Depth is critical all positions, especially QB but I agree with you Geno it’s perhaps most important in the defensive backfield with little guys surrendering inches and pounds to targets like ME13 much less tight ends and big RB’s and monster OL leading sweeps.
October 10th, 2023 at 9:16 am
Dean got paid and is complacent letting completions happen in front of him and then rallying to tackle the receiver. The passive mindset on defense can’t be allowed
Overpaying two corners who don’t intercept passes was just flat out dumb
October 10th, 2023 at 9:18 am
Joe, off topic here, but I posed this question a couple of days ago and haven’t seen a response. Any word yet?
Joe, has the team named captains yet? My recollection is that Bowles said he may do that during the bye week. Might be good motivation to get everyone even more fired up for the upcoming home game and Creamsicle Day.
October 10th, 2023 at 9:20 am
I’ve always thought Dean was overrated.. pretty good but not elite by any means and a complete notch below Davis.
October 10th, 2023 at 9:35 am
Dean is just a middle of the pack level corner. Bucs owe him nothing
October 10th, 2023 at 9:37 am
That’s just good coaching…..getting a 2 for 1…….Lighting a fire under Dean’s a$$ and giving Zion a confidence boost….
I can recall many writing Zion off as a ST player……when it’s usual for rookie corners to struggle…..Zion has so much upside, athleticism and talent…..plus he is a very smart, articulate player.
I think we stole this guy as we did Trey Palmer……Licht used future draft picks to jump back into the draft to snare both of them.
October 10th, 2023 at 9:40 am
There’s been a lot of howling and stink raised on here about our lack of quality depth. Both geno711 and stpete point out the size of DBs vs. the receivers, TEs, RBs, and OL (occasionally), they have to defend. The size difference is noticeable. The DBs have to be small, fast and nimble to competently do their jobs. So, there will be injuries. We are developing quality depth. If McCollum has earned the right to more reps, let him have them. The physics don’t lie.
October 10th, 2023 at 9:41 am
IMO Dean and CDIII are average cornerbacks that make plays from time to time. We will need money in order to sign Wirfs Winfield Evans and perhaps, again perhaps Mayfield, I wouldn´t mind trading CDIII and Dean, play with Zion and Ezien, and rather draft more CB or go to the markets for cheaper ones.
I think resign those three and add LVD and White should be priority, but again, we need to trade other pieces, there is not money for everyone.
October 10th, 2023 at 9:45 am
I’d always considered Dean to be our best corner until now. McCollum looks like he is the better corner now. That we have him on the cheap for this year and the next two bodes poorly for our expensive cornerback duo. Lots of more deserving players up for contracts come springtime. We can’t pay everybody. Don’t make the decisions too easy, gentlemen.
October 10th, 2023 at 9:47 am
Dee Delaney has been playing well also.
October 10th, 2023 at 10:08 am
I wonder if another team would be interested in trading for Dean?
We can’t be paying him top dollar to be the 4th CB on the team… Could we get a 2nd round pick for him?
October 10th, 2023 at 10:21 am
This is definitely a message to Dean…. Who has been accused of not playing through pain and minor injuries before. Dean is a good corner. Looks like Zyon is becoming one too… All good problems. Bowles has done amazing work with our drafted secondary players.
October 10th, 2023 at 10:36 am
I just want CBs that fight and contest some passes. Be there get a hand on a ball. You win some you loose some that is acceptable especially these days where the rules favor the Offense. But be there and fight dont be 7 to 10 yards off everytime. Put hands on balls and jump some routes dont wait for the catch so you can tackle.
Last year McCollum looked lost but this year so far he definitely looks improved.
Go Bucs
October 10th, 2023 at 10:39 am
Dean has tremendous talen,however, he has moments where it seems like his head is not in the game.
October 10th, 2023 at 10:58 am
They gave him that new contract now he even worse then he was before with those Mickey Mouse gloves on. Never liked his style of play
October 10th, 2023 at 11:04 am
From what I’m see, the hustle from this defense is admirable. Stinka, stank it up against filly, but besides that our big D is lookin good Billy ray! Go bucs
October 10th, 2023 at 11:10 am
Dean is soft.
October 10th, 2023 at 11:13 am
IT’S CALLED …
Depth. Let’s not complain about depth. This is what great teams look like. The guys on the bench is as good as the guys starting. We’ll be drafting for a lot more depth next year. It’s a good thing.
October 10th, 2023 at 11:55 am
You media guys always spinning coach speak to make something out of nothing
27 will hopefully turn into a good corner , but let’s not get carried away with 1 solid game
35 at RCB gives Bucs best chance to win
We all know that
October 10th, 2023 at 2:00 pm
Wow, some of you folks are brutal. Dean was the starting outside corner for our first 2 wins this season, and then got injured in our 1 loss. Folks who say he’s soft or an average CB aren’t looking at his body of work. Career-wise, his completion percentage allowed is 2% less than Davis’, and barely 2% higher than Jaire Alexander’s (considered by many to be the best CB in the league?).
I see Dean & others in the Secondary giving a lot of cushion too, but I suspect that’s by design & dictated by what Bowles wants from his Secondary. Dean was primarily a man corner in college, but has played a lot of zone as well as man under Bowles.
With 5 years of tape on him, all the receivers know his tendencies. They don’t have that same tape yet on Izien & McCollum, but they will. I love how Delaney is playing this year, as well as the McCollum & Izien, but 4 games doesn’t a career make.
October 10th, 2023 at 2:50 pm
@Defense Rules, to be fair to Davis he’s matched up against most teams WR1. If you reversed the roles it probably wouldn’t be that close.
October 10th, 2023 at 2:58 pm
Continually blows me away Rhonde made 13 years without missing a game
October 10th, 2023 at 3:11 pm
We won a SB with Dean and CDIII has our corners now all of a sudden their not good enough yall need to stop but Zyon is playing better but i have to see more from him before giving him the keys
October 10th, 2023 at 3:43 pm
Sly Pirate … ‘We’ll be drafting for a lot more depth next year. It’s a good thing.’
Hadn’t really thought about that, but I suspect you’re spot on. I consider Mauch, Izien & Kancey to be starters from this year’s rookie class (Kancey just hasn’t gotten on the field yet, but he will soon), so there’s 3 new starters right there. We also imported Mayfield, Feiler & Neal as new starters, so that’s 6. We also ‘promoted’ Rachaad White, Goedeke, Hainsey & Hall to starting roles this year (Hainsey would’ve been depth if Jensen had come back, and Goedeke had been benched last year before RT opened up with the Wirfs move to LT). So there’s 10 new starters out of 22. Could add both McLaughlin & Camarda and make it 12 out of 24 … 50% new … but regardless, it’s a bunch & we’re very much a ‘new’ team this year.
I suspect 2 or 3 new starting slots will open up next year by virtue of us having so many FAs & not enough money. I’d also suspect that a couple of those will be filled by the new rookie class, and the remainder filled by ‘promoting from within’. We’ve got some good young talent waiting in the wings it looks like (guys like YaYa, Dennis, McCollum, Palmer), guys who’ll get some excellent experience this year. Give us another year or 2 and we’ll likely be competing for another Super Bowl if we can stay healthy & continue to make the right personnel moves.
October 10th, 2023 at 4:06 pm
Good defenses have at least three good outside corners. Dean, Davis and McCollum all have great size and speed and ability. Delaney is a journeyman who is in his peak years. His current role is perfect. If K Mayweather can play at all, everything is just fine as is in the secondary.
October 10th, 2023 at 6:12 pm
DR, I only saw a couple of actual put-downs of Dean in the above comments. Most of us are just saying he doesn’t look the same this year. We are also saying McCollum is looking like he might be the Bucs best corner this year. That might be enough to get Dean to step it up a bit. If not the Bucs may go with cheaper options. Davis needs to stay on his toes too. We can’t pay everybody super star money. Although $13 mil for Dean isn’t too bad. $15 mil for Davis isn’t horrible either. There are lots of major contracts on the horizon and decisions are going to have to be made. Make those decisions as hard as possible.
October 10th, 2023 at 6:15 pm
And DR, I do agree that in another year or two we could easily be contending for another ring.
October 10th, 2023 at 6:53 pm
Joe, I would think Davis would be ahead of Dean to be sent to the bench. Dean seems to be a better defender in man to man coverage. I don’t have the numbers but Davis always has something going on where he can’t play it limited. Got a lot better players that are going to need to be paid this year and depending on cap savings ole Davis could sent down the road. If anything, Dean is as good as Davis and younger. 2 cents
October 10th, 2023 at 7:03 pm
Overpaying two corners who don’t intercept passes was just flat out dumb
And yet, if they had let Dean walk, and Zyon was still struggling like he did last year, then you same people would be screaming about how dumb Licht was to let Dean get away lol.
October 10th, 2023 at 7:03 pm
Whoops, that was supposed to be quoted above.
October 10th, 2023 at 9:00 pm
Architek says we OWE Dean nothing and I get your point, but the problem is we OWE him a lot. You can’t sign a guy to a lucrative contract and get these results.
Especially when you guarantee money which everyone is looking for for security. Now Dean has that security and the Bucs don’t get quality play. I’m rooting for the guy and honestly thought he might have a monster year. He still could.
October 10th, 2023 at 11:32 pm
I may be wrong on this, but to me Dean has always been a hot and cold player.
Looks great in one game and the next is tripping over his own feet.
Just my take on him.
Go Bucs!
October 11th, 2023 at 1:35 pm
Trade dean or Davis, young guys stepping up makes one of them expendable. The money we would save by trading one of them would go a long ways towards keeping Mike in town