The injury bug has been making a meal out of the Tampa Bay Buccaneers' roster this season, claiming just about every key player the team has. Antoine Winfield Jr., Vita Vea, Mike Evans, and Tristan Wirfs have all missed time with injuries while Chris Godwin has been lost for the season.
Jamel Dean was added to that heap a few weeks ago after he was placed on IR with a hamstring injury back in October. It was yet another blow to the Bucs' depth but has also further depleted a defense that is already on the ropes.
Almost all of the aforementioned key players who have been bitten by the injury bug have managed to bounce back, with Evans expected to return on Sunday, while Wirfs isn't going to miss nearly as much time as initially feared.
Thankfully for the defense's sake, Dean is also expected to soon rejoin the team and hopefully provide a badly needed boost.
Buccaneers are close to getting Jamel Dean back from injury
On Monday the Buccaneers opened the 21-day window for Jamel Dean to be activated off IR. It's the first step toward him rejoining the team for the first time since October. The Bucs have been without their top cornerback since he left Week 6 when he left the win over New Orleans early.
It hasn't yet been made official when Dean will return, but the Bucs opening his activation window means he could be added back to the roster any time between now and December 9th. There won't be a rush to get him back before he's ready, but things seem to be trending toward Dean being on available for Sunday's game against the New York Giants.
He'd be returning for a juicy matchup, as the Giants are set to start Tommy DeVito after benching Daniel Jones.
The Bucs badly need Dean back in the lineup, as the defense has been hit hard with injuries and is playing well below the level we know it can operate at. Right now Todd Bowles is getting a ton of heat -- a lot of it justified -- over hoe poorly the defense is playing, but the fact of the matter is he's playing without a full deck.
Dean has been up-and-down over the last two years but he's has the talent to be a top corner. That's why the team brought him back a year ago and he has a golden opportunity to remind everyone how important he is to the defense if he can bounce back from injury with a strong performance.
Tampa Bay is going to need it, as the next seven games will be as much about saving jobs as it will be making the playoffs.
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