Jamel Dean exited early against the Buffalo Bills after suffering a hip injury, in what proved to be a fatal difference-maker for the Tampa Bay Buccaneers.
The Bucs were forced to depend on rookie Benjamin Morrison, who has unfortunately proven to be a liability in recent weeks.
He gave up a deep touchdown on third-and-3, and was otherwise picked on all afternoon by Josh Allen and the Bills offense.
Dean has played the best football of his career this season, and the Buccaneers really needed him on the field in such a crucial game.
Entering Sunday’s game, Dean was ranked by Pro Football Focus as the best cornerback in the NFL with an impressive 90.5 grade. He’s also allowed just a 29.7 passer rating when targeted, which is the best mark of all NFL cornerbacks.
The highest-graded CB in football this season:
— PFF (@PFF) November 14, 2025
Jamel Dean 🔒 pic.twitter.com/sJjyLqITII
To go with these impressive stats, he has a career-high three interceptions as well as two forced fumbles.
But despite his highly impressive play, injuries are still hindering Dean from being fully reliable for the Tampa Bay defense. He exited the team’s Week 4 matchup against the Philadelphia Eagles with a hip injury that caused him to miss Week 5, and now he’s injured his hip again.
Dean has missed 18 games in his six seasons, and has left plenty of games early due to injuries. No matter how great he’s playing, these injuries have become a problem which is a big part of why Tampa Bay restructured his contract this offseason, resulting in a pay cut and shaving one year off the end of his contract.
Dean will likely be joining a new team this offseason as a free agent, but for the time being, Tampa Bay needs Dean for the remainder of this season. He’s been the Buccaneers’ best player in the secondary by a wide margin, and Morrison simply isn’t ready to play a significant role for the defense.
Hopefully, Dean’s injury isn’t too significant with a huge game against the Rams and their elite receiver group on the horizon in a game that could have massive playoff implications in the NFC.