We’re well into the thick of the NFL offseason, but one loose thread continues to dangle for the Tampa Bay Buccaneers. Cornerback depth has been a problem the last few seasons, and talent at the position has bene hard to come by.
One of the biggest reasons for that is the lack of impact Jamel Dean has had. He signed a big contract a few years ago to return, and at the time it looked like a steal. He was set to hit the market in the first post-Tom Brady offseason as the top player at his position, and returning on a relatively team-friendly deal was a steal.
Since then, though, it’s been tough sledding for Dean. He’s struggled to stay healthy and has found himself on the wrong side of big plays more than fans would like to see. It’s little things like not laying on an Atlanta Falcons receiver for half-a-second longer to run out clock in a game the Bucs ended up losing in overtime, as well as coverage breakdowns that lead to backbreaking gains.
All of this has led to speculation that he’ll be traded this offseason, but so far there hasn’t been any actual movement on that front. It hasn’t stopped folks from trying to piece together deals — good or bad for the Bucs — to see if he can be moved.
Buffalo Bills could be a potential trade partner with Bucs for Jamel Dean
Bleacher Report listed off some surprise trades that might still happen and had Dean listed among the potential moves. It’s a bit of a stretch to call a move involved Dean a surprise, but the projected return is what should stand out above all else.
Tampa Bay would get a fifth-round pick back from the Buffalo Bills in the mock trade, which isn’t really a lot. Keep in mind the Bucs received third-rounder from the Lions last year for Dean’s old running-mate Carlton Davis III.
It’s true that Jason Licht has a knack for turning Day 3 picks into important pieces of the roster, but that will be put to the challenge with John Spytek no longer in Tampa Bay. He was a big part of identifying talent in the draft and was instrumental in finding those diamonds in the rough.
That’s not to say Licht doesn’t have capable folks ready to step up, but this year will be a stress test to see just how well Spytek’s shoes can be filled.
At this point it’s also worth wondering of simply hanging onto Dean for one more season is the best move. The Bucs will likely use one of their existing draft picks on a cornerback, and there’s plenty of talent left in the free agent pool for Tampa Bay to dip its toe into.
Dean doesn’t have any guaranteed money left on his deal, which means the Bucs aren’t really running much of a risk by keeping him around. The best case scenario is that he’ll find a way to bounce back and head into a contract year next season looking more like the guy Tampa Bay gave $52 million to and less like the dud we’ve seen the past few seasons.
There’s a top cornerback somewhere in Dean, and a fifth-round pick doesn’t seem worth it to bail on the idea of seeing if he can figure things out.
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