There's a ton of pressure on the Tampa Bay Buccaneers entering the third year season of the post-Tom Brady era. All signs seems to point toward Baker Mayfield taking yet another step in the right direction, leading the team to even greater heights than he's already taken them.
While things are mostly going great and the team is set up for success, not everything is running smoothly.
Last season was a bit of a mess on defense, something that held the team back in ways that frustrated fans to the point of openly questioning Todd Bowles' leadership. What he's proven in the locker room supersedes any trepidations fans have, something a contract extension this offseason proved, but the same can't be said for everyone fans have been wondering about.
Notably, Jamel Dean has been teetering on the brink for a while now, and it could be that he's entering his final season with the team this year.
Jamel Dean seems to be on borrowed time in Tampa Bay
Not to be too dramatic, but the writing feels like it's on the wall for Dean entering this season.
He's just two seasons removed from signing a pretty sizable contract to return to Tampa Bay and be the team's No. 1 cornerback, but he's hardly lived up to the billing. Dean signed a four-year, $52 million contract back in 2023, however it's hard to say he's been worth $13 million per season since then.
Injuries and poor play have plagued Dean, with the first warning shot about his future coming a year ago when Carlton Davis III was traded to Detroit. His former running mate had a lot of the same issues, which is why there were so many trade rumors about Dean this offseason with fans wondering if the Bucs could get a simliar deal and start over.
That didn't happen, and it seems the Bucs are going to head into the season with Dean firmly in the mix. Frustrations aside, there's nothing wrong with this approach; Dean had the ability to be one of the most productive defensive backs in the league when everything is firing on all cylinders. The only problem is it's been far too long since we've seen him consistently be that sort of players.
Last year, he failed to lay on a Falcons wide receiver for half a second longer than he did, which likely led to there still being time on the clock for a comeback in the infamous Thursday Night Football loss. It's stuff like that -- broken plays and seemingly bad coverage -- which has worn fans thin.
Getting rid of him is easier said than done, but his contract structure suggests this could quietly be the final season of his career in Tampa, even if there's another season left on his deal. There have already been trade rumors about him getting shipped off, but the Bucs could save $11.2 million next offseason by cutting Dean before June 1st and over $13 million if it happens after that.
It doesn't seem to have turned his coaches off, and Jason Licht certainly isn't upset enough to have made a move this offseason. However, the Bucs doubled up on cornerbacks in the NFL Draft and the rise of Zyon McCollum means there's pressure all over the place for Dean to step back up the way we've seen him do in the past.
The big question is whether he'll be able to do that, which is why it seems he's on borrowed time until he can convince everyone otherwise with his play on the field.
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