He’s Back!
November 23rd, 2024
Activated.
Bucs fans can breathe a sigh of major relief. The season, it appears, will not be dependent on the play of backup corners Josh Hayes or this Tyrek Funderburk.
Long-time Bucs starting corner Jamel Dean has been activated by the Bucs. He will start tomorrow. So either Hayes or Funderburk, mercifully, will not start.
Somewhere, Tommy Cutlets weeps.
And, Joe might add, Zyon McCollum has yet to be ruled out for tomorrow’s game at the New Jersey Swamplands.
Dean blew out his hamstring in the blowout of the slimy Saints over a month ago.
Also, backup linebacker Vi Jones has been elevated to the active roster. The saga of Jones is one of the biggest head-scratchers this season from Bucs coach Todd Bowles.
The Bucs defense has been awful this year. Part of that has been the play of K.J. Britt who, because of an injury to SirVocea Dennis, has had to be a full-time linebacker. Britt is simply a lost cause in the passing game.
However, Bowles said a reason Britt played full-time and the Bucs didn’t go out and get a linebacker who could defend the pass is that practice squad linebacker Jones was not ready to play — despite Jones being with the Bucs for a year!
If a dude — a weekday warrior! — needs a year to learn the defense, Joe’s going to walk out on a limb and suggest he’s a bad fit.
Why the Bucs chose to sit on their hands and not get a linebacker (or a receiver) because of injuries is a mystery right up there with shadows on a grassy knoll in Dallas.
Signing Mike Edwards, elevating Jones… man, the Bucs are pulling out all the stops.
November 23rd, 2024 at 4:49 pm
Honestly, I’m not sure Dean was playing better than Hayes and Funderburke before he went out. Really don’t feel like he was missed that much.
November 23rd, 2024 at 5:03 pm
Anyone in their right mind knew we traded the wrong corner….however Dean is not terrible but imo he got paid and got complacent. We need major help on defense come the offseason since young talent isnt developing like we all hoped.
November 23rd, 2024 at 5:03 pm
For those saying, Dean was playing no better than the back ups, get a grip. He’s not having his best season, but he is still pretty good. The problem is him and Zion are better at man and Bowles plays zone constantly.
Of course, the other problem is Dean‘s injuries. Carlton Davis definitely would’ve been a better option to keep, but Obviously, obviously did not work out that way.
They desperately need to draft another CB.
Even if Dean comes back and plays fantastic down the stretch, he has still missed a third of all NFL games since being drafted. Probably time to move on pretty fast. And I like the guy. He is much better than people realize.
November 23rd, 2024 at 5:04 pm
How many games left for Dean as a Buc?
The countdown is on…..
GO BUCS!!!
November 23rd, 2024 at 5:07 pm
I will be happy if he at least tries to play tight coverage
November 23rd, 2024 at 5:08 pm
For an undrafted rookie, Tyrek Funderburk played better than expected. I see good things with this kid. He definitely proved his worth and could be a full time starter in the next few years.
November 23rd, 2024 at 5:09 pm
They need to draft mainly all D next year & if they can do anything in FA (IF) then they need to go after some D there, too!
November 23rd, 2024 at 5:10 pm
@AlabamaBucsFan
Yeah I said the same thing. Dude has the talent but I think he was just thrown in there too quick.
November 23rd, 2024 at 6:55 pm
Zyon McCollum struggled his first year and slowly started coming along late last year. He’s really balling out now. Give Funderburk a break, not only is he a rookie but udfa. Let’s not act though as if JDean is the messiah/Deion Sanders. He’s been in the league six years on is a mediocre/average player with experience at best. I wish we would’ve kept Carton Davis n let JDean walk. On the other hand when players don’t put out year n and year out, let’s do like the Giants did with Daniel Jones as they said enough is enough so let’s cut ties with the likes of JDean n JTS. I would be willing to trade those two n give a 2nd n 3rd round pick just to get Travis Hunter.
November 23rd, 2024 at 6:56 pm
Are other teams going to give him a break because he’s a rookie and an UDFA?
November 23rd, 2024 at 7:06 pm
Dean was on the field when Bo Nix and the Broncos torched us.
November 23rd, 2024 at 7:20 pm
“Anyone in their right mind knew we traded the wrong corner….”
~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~
Probably because other teams didn’t want to trade for Dean and Tampa didn’t want that big salary on the bench behind McCollum.
November 23rd, 2024 at 7:30 pm
If I’m not mistaken our defense is healthy as it’s been all year. We’ve had the bye week to suck it up, look at execution, communication, and effort….
It’s a prove it game for Todd and the Defense. I don’t just want to see us win, I want to see improvements across the board.
Wake the fu(k up and dominate 😳🤘🏼🤞🏼
November 23rd, 2024 at 8:20 pm
Dean hasn’t outperformed even the worst of lawnchairs and He never met a pass he couldn’t drop. And let me tell you, that’s saying something.
November 23rd, 2024 at 9:21 pm
Joes – you either have a very short memory or set the bar extremely low. Fans should be breathing a sigh of relief because Dean is back? He was beyond awful before he got injured. He might be a shade better than the lowly Funderburk, but acting like he’s some sort of savior is laughable.
November 23rd, 2024 at 9:30 pm
Hopefully Zyon can play….