Jamel Dean On His Attempt To Stay Healthy
May 31st, 2024
Working to stay on the field.
The last time Jamel Dean was seen in a game situation was when he was carted off the carpet of Ford Field in the fourth quarter of the divisional round contest between the Bucs and the Lions.
It seemed a fitting end for the Bucs cornerback. While Dean always seems to get nicked up in games and some fans holler so much about it, Dean hasn’t missed that many games in recent seasons.
Last year Dean missed four games due to injuries. During the 2021 and 2022 seasons, Dean missed just 6 of 34 regular season games. That’s not that much. (He rode the bench banged up but available in the Bucs’ lone playoff game for the 2022 season.)
Still, the perception is that Dean missed a half-dozen games in each of the past three seasons. Perception vs. reality.
Dean knows he needs to stay on the field more, he said Tuesday, so he’s trying to groom his body to be able to accomplish that.
Dean said it wasn’t so much a specific injury that has resulted in him missing four games last season. It’s compensating for those injuries that has landed him on the sidelines.
“Once you start compensating for the muscles, that’s when the injuries start to happen,” Dean said. “The whole offseason I’ve been working on my muscles so I can be well-balanced.”
Joe and all Bucs fans will see if it works. If not, how safe is Dean’s future? Per Spotrac.com, Dean has an out after this season where if the Bucs dump him, the team is only dinged just under $7 million in dead cap cash.
May 31st, 2024 at 5:59 am
How do you compensate for muscles? Run with your ligaments?
It’s not so much actually missing games but playing like he looked injured all the time.
He is a far cry from the almost 20 passes defensed in 2020 or whatever year that was. He needs to learn how to be a Pro from Winfield. I feel he got that money and started coasting.
May 31st, 2024 at 6:23 am
This man just guaranteed us he’ll miss 3 games. Im disgusted. Go Bucs!
May 31st, 2024 at 6:26 am
Just goes to make Rhonde’s record that much more impressive
May 31st, 2024 at 6:31 am
“… banged up but available.” Pretty much sums it up.
May 31st, 2024 at 7:09 am
Dean is soft.
May 31st, 2024 at 7:09 am
I would like to know exactly how many big plays over 20 yards this one has given up over his duration as cornerback? I would not be surprised if that number is greater than what I can count on all my fingers and toes…just sayin…
He simply never seems to make a big play. For us.
May 31st, 2024 at 7:19 am
So Joe, it seems like you are signing off on this guy can be unavailable about 20% of the time. How many of us would like to be compensated 100% of the time for 80% of work.
JD is extremely fast and a good tackler. He plays 12 yards off the ball and uses his speed to make up the difference. Perhaps it’s the speed of the impact he’s putting into the tackle that’s causing his problems. How about working on his abilities to play and cover within 5 yards of the line. Do that better, perhaps we can improve on his availability.
May 31st, 2024 at 7:20 am
Jamel “Franken” Dean, we should’ve gotten a soldering iron and spare parts when we drafted him. Even with all that he’s still one of the better athletes on the roster and easily has one of the best catchphrases in football.
May 31st, 2024 at 7:29 am
Never been a fan of that guy.
May 31st, 2024 at 8:33 am
Dean has all the tools, it seems like he’s not putting in the work to train his body correctly.
May 31st, 2024 at 9:00 am
Some players put their foot on the gas when they get paid, but others relax and that’s when the injuries start. If you’re a true pro then prepare like one!
May 31st, 2024 at 9:39 am
Not really related, but I thought Dee Delaney made an adequate backup. I’m not sure what more they would have wanted out of him
May 31st, 2024 at 9:47 am
Dean has been like this since college. I remember BA saying they were watching tape on him during his Auburn days playing with a club on his hand. Some guys are just always dinged up. From watching him walk, run and turn he needs to work on his flexibility.
May 31st, 2024 at 9:51 am
Can we all pitch in amd get him a Alex Guerrero TB12 Gift Card?
May 31st, 2024 at 11:03 am
I have trouble understanding what some commenters expect of these guys; in this case, of Jamel Dean. All all the comments were negative, and yet with him starting back there, Bucs have been to the playoffs every year since his rookie year (2019).
Jamel’s productivity isn’t that shabby folks. His 70 games played in 5 years means he’s only missed 2.5 games/year on a average (missed a tad over 15% of our games).
o He’s played 3,000 def snaps since his rookie year (750 snaps/year is a lot better than many CBs ever contribute).
o His 56.3% completion percentage allowed is better than what a number of much higher paid CBs make (like Marshon Lattimore?).
o Jamel’s 58 tackles/year average since his rookie season is actually quite high for a CB getting 750 def snaps/year. Tells me that Dean isn’t afraid to bang heads like some CBs are. Has proven costly more than once.
He wouldn’t have lasted this long in Bowles’ defense if he was ‘coasting’ or ‘soft’ as some have described him. And as far as ‘playing too far off’ goes, I prefer to believe that’s part of what his coaches are asking him to do in the bigger scheme of things. He’s actually an excellent man-to-man CB.
May 31st, 2024 at 11:36 am
“He’s actually an excellent man-to-man CB.”
Even in an “off” year, Dean still graded out as the 2nd best man CB in all of the NFL and only behind Tre Brown.
“And as far as ‘playing too far off’ goes, I prefer to believe that’s part of what his coaches are asking him to do in the bigger scheme of things.”
Also, playing press man all the time and lining up with next to no cushion is asking for your CBs to be burnt deep or draw a illegal touching/DPI flag, You cushion to keep the play, player, and most important the football in front of you, because passes going over a CBs head usually spells b-u-r-n-t.
May 31st, 2024 at 1:10 pm
It sounds similar to what Christian Watson of the packers is going through with his hamstring. The packers sent him to a hamstring specialist and they determined that his muscles weren’t symmetrical and that was causing the issues??? Not sure if Dean is in the same boat…but being in a billion dollar business, they can spend a little to see if his issues are fixable…
Go Bucs
May 31st, 2024 at 7:04 pm
The problem was never him completely missing that many games each season (although 3 – 5 games per year is still A LOT), but it’s that he’s then also playing injured for about ~25% of the games each season.
Add those together and it’s nearly half the season where he’s not at full strength. Which sucks, because when he’s healthy, he’s actually quite good.
(And yes, I know every player is banged up throughout the season, but when it clearly affects your play, it’s a problem)
May 31st, 2024 at 8:01 pm
Well said unbelievable.
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Lt. Dan Says:
May 31st, 2024 at 6:31 am
“… banged up but available.” Pretty much sums it up.
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Bingo!
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DR – great posts as always.
May 31st, 2024 at 11:25 pm
I think they brought in Brice Hall to replace him.
Dean and Davis both thought they were irreplaceable last year.
They didnt give this team their best
Bad idea.
June 1st, 2024 at 8:08 am
Dean and Davis played a lot of press man coverage at Auburn, in a physical defense where they were expected to hit and tackle. Take that mindset and style of play to the NFL over 17 games and you get banged up. Both are solid cover corners. Wish we could have afforded to keep Davis.
June 1st, 2024 at 9:56 pm
I do agree that CBs are often injured as well as safties. Bowles a former DB has said as much explicitly. Not man DBs are iron men like Ronde Barber either.
But Dean tends to not really be a consistent player when he is healthy. Combined with his missed time and Dean when he is optimal an top of his game is like only 1/3 of the season.
Now you compared to McCollum and he played consistently at a higher level last year by replacing Dean OR Davis when needed. And McCollum subbed in as a safety in certain packages.
Dean needs to be a consistent player on the field when he is healthy and try to avoid injuries that should heal properly with proper rest.