Jamel Dean And His Big Salary
February 2nd, 2025
How safe is he?
When a guy is entering his seventh season in the league and has yet to play a full season, that’s a red flag for Joe.
And that is why Joe has run out of rope with Jamel Dean. Look, the guy isn’t a bad corner, and Dean is a stand-up guy. Never ducks when things are bad and Joe has seen Dean on his off days at One Buc Palace working out more than Joe’s seen any other player.
So that right there shows Dean has his heart and mind in the right place. But dang it, he cannot stay healthy.
Some guys are just injury-prone. Dean is that guy. Joe has only seen one NFL player who wanted to get hurt and that was Myron Lewis. He wanted a check more than he wanted to play (or practice).
Dean ain’t no Myron Lewis.
Over at BSPN, follicly-challenged Billy Barnwell thinks Dean better be watching his back this spring and, of all the Bucs with bloated contracts, he’s the most vulnerable to getting released.
Potential candidates for release: CB Jamel Dean. The Bucs have six players with cap holds over $5 million on their 2025 roster. The only one in danger of being released is Dean, though that’s more a product of injuries than subpar play. He has yet to play a full season as a pro, and he has missed nine full games and significant portions of five more over the past two years because of injuries.
He is a solid corner in a defense with a blitz rate that puts its corners in difficult situations on a regular basis, which will play in his favor, but the 28-year-old’s $13 million compensation is unguaranteed. The Bucs might try to play hardball and ask him to take a pay cut to return.
That’s what Joe believes will happen. Joe has heard Dean has at least one supporter with influence at One Buc Palace.
Per Spotrac.com, the Bucs’ would take a cap hit of less than $7 million if Dean is released this offseason.
As often as Dean is hurt, guys pushing or past the age of 30 don’t bounce back from injuries as quickly as they did when they were just past legal drinking age. Dean turns 29 in October. He missed five games last year, the most of his career.
In three of the Bucs’ last four playoff games, only once (last year against Philadelphia) was Dean able to finish a playoff game. In the playoff loss to Dallas after the 2022 season, Dean hurt but active and benched for Sean Murphy-Bunting.
If a guy can’t stay on the field for a team’s most important games, then what’s the point?
If the Bucs keep Dean, they better get a capable, reliable corner to play for him when he’s hurt.
But why spend the money on two corners when you can spend less Team Glazer loot on one who has a better chance of snapping on a chin strap in January games?
February 2nd, 2025 at 8:04 am
Buh bye. He gives more cushion than a pillow. Our Pass Defense needs to improve NOW. Go Bucs!
February 2nd, 2025 at 8:10 am
We’re better with Dean in the lineup. Hopefully there is a compromise that will free up some cap and keep him on the team. NFL teams need at least 3 starting level corners to compete. We have 2 right now. It makes a lot of sense to draft a corner in one of the first 3 rounds of the draft.
February 2nd, 2025 at 8:15 am
Just like OLBs that don’t get sacks, Jamel doesn’t get interceptions. ZERO last year. Seven in five seasons. Don’t give me deflections. That’s like telling me how many pressures a backer gets. Interceptions are the definition of “drive killers.” The Bucs need effective (and healthy) ball hawks on the corners. He ain’t it!
February 2nd, 2025 at 8:23 am
I want every draft pick and free agent signing to be on defense.
We need help everywhere on that side of th ball.
February 2nd, 2025 at 8:30 am
BucU said it best.
February 2nd, 2025 at 8:41 am
I’m not the biggest Dean fan either but creating another hole to fill on our defense seems counter productive…
Plus – cutting Dean would create @ $8M in dead cap money then we would have to replace him.
Who would his replacement be? A rookie? Another old expensive free agent?
Doesn’t seem logical Captain.
February 2nd, 2025 at 8:47 am
I remember reading about Dean’s college injuries right after he was drafted. Much of it probably on these here pages. Two Packs and assorted other boo-boos. IIRC, injuries were where why he lasted till the third round. He had like 4.3 speed and I think he is 6’3″. He’s not a bad tackler…usually. He’s usually pretty good in man coverage. We don’t have a replacement handy. Joe says his cap hit is $7 mil even if we cut him so what are we gonna get for the $6 mil that makes the difference? We need another good corner or two even if we keep Dean. We might as well play him for one more year. Especially if he will take a small pay cut. I don’t think he will take one, but I’d keep him this year anyway for the $6mil difference.
February 2nd, 2025 at 8:48 am
Packs should be ACLs. Autocorrect bit me.
February 2nd, 2025 at 8:49 am
No worries .This off-season they’re training Vita Vea to cover the deep out. Wait till opposing QB’s get a look at that exotic look. You think they were confused by that tricky JTS? They ain’t seen nothing yet.
February 2nd, 2025 at 8:57 am
We need to let Jamel go.
To be fair, some of it is the soft zone defensive scheme he’s playing in.
You can’t break up a pass let alone get an INT when it’s 3rd and 3 and you’re playing 10 yards off the line because that’s what the scheme on that particular play calls for. (Which happens a lot).
When he’s healthy and playing in the right coverage, he’s a solid CB. Not spectacular, but has shown he can hold his own.
But, as others have said, and we’ve all seen, he’s injury prone.
We’re spending a lot of money on a guy that has trouble staying on the field.
He’s also, unfortunately, a favorite of Coach Swiss Cheese.
To his credit, Coach Swiss Cheese is very loyal to his players, although sometimes too loyal. To the point that it’s a detriment to our win-loss record.
That could wind up being the case here, and that would mean Jamel returns next year.
A salary cut for Jamel, and nailing a good FA and/or draft pick up might be the best we get.
February 2nd, 2025 at 8:59 am
When you consistently see McCollum draped all over his recievers and Dean giving four yard cushions the story gets old pretty fast. By the time Dean makes his move, the reciever already has the ball for a first down or he has already flown past him. For whatever reason his recovery time is no longer elite. When you have an NFL defensive back with eyes 👀 wide open with this look of total confusion, it might be time to move on. I hear Marshon Lattimore is available, talk about exciting training camp practices.
February 2nd, 2025 at 9:00 am
That probably won’t happen… Till go after best available unless that position or something more deep at. But I would like it to be defensive heavy for sure. Build a little depth on offense here and there but it’s been the first couple pics is my wish.
They drafted 5 offensive players and 2 defensive players last season put to the first three pics were defensive. I’d like to flip that script and have our first two players checked in defensive maybe offensive player 3 through 6 somewhere.
… and Dean had an Int in the Charges. The only one. And none in 2023. He’s never had more than two in any season. His best run was the first few years of his career.
February 2nd, 2025 at 9:15 am
You know this guy is due for some good luck. Let jasin work something out
February 2nd, 2025 at 9:17 am
Somewhat of a tough call on Dean – mainly because we don’t have anyone on the roster now that can step in and play as well as he does.
Statistically, Jamel is a top 20 CB. Perhaps better. But that’s when he’s on the field….
He’s not worth the $15.8M cap hit – mainly because he can’t be counted on to be available to play any given week (or half).
Bucs would save $8.4M in cap space by releasing or trading Dean.
If we could get a 4th or 5th rd draft pick by trading Dean – then that makes moving on from him more palatable.
But outright releasing him with no clear replacement available is not such an easily made decision.
February 2nd, 2025 at 9:22 am
Nobody ELSE is gonna pay him $10 mil+. I like the idea of forcing him to take a reduction
February 2nd, 2025 at 9:30 am
Dean is soft.
February 2nd, 2025 at 9:38 am
A player cannot help his team if he cannot stay on the field. Perhaps Dean can be convinced to take a pay cut and stay on the roster but if he still wants the top shelf coin it might be best to see if anyone will give a day 3 draft pick for his services or perhaps even release him at a time when his cap hit will not hurt as much.
February 2nd, 2025 at 9:38 am
Of course you don’t know who is available yet. And he plays well? No He get burnt well. He is expensive on the field or in the tub. Time for him to go.
February 2nd, 2025 at 10:00 am
With Dean on the field, the Bucs won for some strange reason. Bowles played less Charmin zone when Dean was out there. His play was solid but he’s hurt too much and way too expensive on a per game basis. Bryce Hall was supposed to be our CB3 but went down early and he might be as injury prone as Dean.
Draft a CB at #19 who has man skills but can play zone too. Trade Dean if we can and hope Hall can be a CB3.
February 2nd, 2025 at 10:05 am
Those injuries aren’t going away at a reduced salary. So what does the team gain with that, other than maybe the free cap space to hire another corner to stand at the ropes waiting to get tapped in when Dean inevitably gets injured again in a big game?
Between both Dean and Carlton Davis, this team should have learned that maybe we need a little more quantity at the position over quality, …..oh, and the ability and willingness to intercept footballs.
February 2nd, 2025 at 10:10 am
Bucs hold on to injured players way to long, they never learn. Who cares if he takes a pay cut if he can’t stay healthy, and never gets any picks. We need a revamped secondary, with better coaching. Rapone, and Ross should’ve been replaced before last season. Our secondary took a step back under their leadership this season. Don’t use the Winfield injury excuse, even he looked worse when he did play. Running the same players, and coaches back, and expecting different results is insane. If Bowles can’t fire his friends Licht needs to step up, and do his job.
February 2nd, 2025 at 10:24 am
Getting old, memory fading, so help me out,
Was it Lovie or Rah who said “I’ll tolerate you until I can replace you.”
Whomever said it pretty well describes my feelings about Dean. Decent guy with plenty of talent but a china vase in terms of injuries from college to this very day.
February 2nd, 2025 at 10:49 am
“by that tricky JTS?”…Durango.
The only trick JTS has is staying on the roster
February 2nd, 2025 at 10:58 am
ohbucfan jamel did have a pick this year
February 2nd, 2025 at 11:01 am
Injury prone makes him a cut candidate. Yea he could take a pay cut but Bucs will draft a corner and likely sign one so when he gets injured he probably won’t get his job back. What would be the point now that we have all this time to find a replacement
February 2nd, 2025 at 11:15 am
That’s a great point.
February 2nd, 2025 at 11:24 am
Lets all cry about not having any depth and then advocate to get rid of the only legit experienced guys we have. Sure, makes perfect sense. If you are positioning yourself to make the same excuses for the Super Todd next season to.
February 2nd, 2025 at 11:26 am
Amazing how some will nit pick every player but wont use the same logic with certain other under performing individuals…
February 2nd, 2025 at 11:45 am
That was always the problem when he was resigned for so much loot. Between Dean and Davis there was a lot capital spent on two part time players which was real head scratcher. Licht probably could have signed five average corners in place of those two. They were both good players on the field, but that was the problem, they weren’t.
February 2nd, 2025 at 11:50 am
@PewterStiffArm
Yeah I’d love to see Lattimore & Evans in the same locker room on the same team. Don’t think that would work well.
February 2nd, 2025 at 11:56 am
@JimBobBuc
Either Revel from East Carolina or Morrison from Notre Dame but the only problem is they’re coming off injuries, too! Then maybe they could draft a LB like Barton from Utah like 3rd round. If they wait they could maybe draft Strong from Virginia Tech Riley from Louisville Muhammad from Oregon or somebody like that if they go some other route. But yeah I think I’d probably go CB 1st round then LB.
February 2nd, 2025 at 11:58 am
@PewterStiffArm
Yeah I’d love to see Lattimore & Evans in the same locker room on the same team. Don’t think that would work well.
February 2nd, 2025 at 12:10 pm
@PewterStiffArm
Yeah I’d love to see Lattimore & Evans in the same locker room on the same team. Don’t think that would work well.
February 2nd, 2025 at 12:20 pm
Dean sucks and is made of glass. No different than Davis which we traded to Detroit and he was hurt all year up there. Sign a veteran FA CB and then draft one.
February 2nd, 2025 at 12:41 pm
To be fair, Licht addressed Dean’s injury concerns by signing a legit starting CB last offseason from the Jets as a backup. Unfortunately, HE got a season-ending injury in the very first game I think. (I can’t remember his name; a dude from the Jets.)
I doubt they’ll cut Dean. He’s effective when healthy. Licht will just have to make sure there’s quality depth behind him.
February 2nd, 2025 at 1:13 pm
The corner from the Jets they signed is Bryce Hall. I would try to trade Dean and if I can’t, I would cut him . You can’t rely on him to be on the field. Enough!
February 2nd, 2025 at 1:43 pm
Jamel Dean won’t be with Bucs in 2025. Big changes coming on defense. Stay tuned.
February 2nd, 2025 at 3:26 pm
Time for him to go. Glass knees just don’t work. Good luck to him.
February 2nd, 2025 at 4:09 pm
And not coincidentally, that’s the only 1 of those 4 playoff games that we actually won.
It’s a shame he can’t stay healthy
February 2nd, 2025 at 4:40 pm
Lets see who’s available at our pick in the draft. Obviously not everyone is going to be able to pick up a Quinyon Mitchell like the Eagles did, but even someone who could be 70% of what he did, would be a great outcome
February 2nd, 2025 at 5:00 pm
I will say the Bucs went out and got Bryce hall and maybe that’s more to give insurance policy incase Zyon didn’t work out as a starter and to play when not if but when dean got hurt so the Bucs did their part. They got another starter had their nickel starter in smith and his back up in izen but we lost hall for the season in the 1st game. Unfortunately this is football but man I really hope they bring hall back for another chance draft a few guys in the mid to later rds so mean look at Zyon he’s a capable starter and we got him in the 5th.
February 2nd, 2025 at 5:16 pm
Dean was injury prone at Auburn in college. Seems like bucs have a habit picking injure prone secondary players. Winfield is a great safety but is also injury prone.
February 2nd, 2025 at 5:37 pm
He costs us 8mil whether he is on the team or not
We pay him the additional 8 mil to play this year or use it to pay part of a new guys salary. Bad deal either way. Do you replace the engine in the old car to get one more year out of it and hope nothing else breaks or buy the new car?