The Tampa Bay Buccaneers defense did not have a lot to write home about, and, in fact, Todd Bowles's group was the main reason why the Bucs failed to qualify for the playoffs with an atrocious second half of the 2025 NFL regular season.
But while there were huge weaknesses in the front seven, specifically the pass rush, the secondary was not all that bad. And if there were a couple of weaknesses in that defensive backfield, then top cornerback Jamel Dean was certainly not one of them.
Despite receiving virtually zero attention or coverage nationally, Dean was one of the best shutdown cornerbacks in the NFL at the age of 29. He recorded three interceptions to set a new career high and allowed a minuscule quarterback rating of 63.1. Opponents completed less than 50 percent of their passes into Dean's coverage, which is just beyond absurd.
The Buccaneers already have a lousy defense
As the Buccaneers head into the NFL free agent period this offseason in March, they have to start pondering the players on their own team who will hit the open waters, especially since they are going to need to open up some cap space in order to sign a high impact pass rusher.
On paper, Dean is an obvious keep since he was the No. 1 cornerback last season. But since he produced those stats in a contract year, there are many Tampa Bay Buccaneers fans who do not trust Jamel Dean or think he can replicate those numbers, especially since he had only one other season since coming into the NFL in 2019 with similar production.
Sometimes players are late bloomers, and at 29, Dean is still on the tail end of his theoretical prime at cornerback. But corners are notoriously fickle to trust, especially in contract years, and once they turn 30, they are liable to decline off a cliff at any given moment.
The Buccaneers have a tough question to ask regarding their best impending free agent from the 2025 season. Can they trust Dean? Was it all just inflated ability in a contract year with Dean balling out? Or was this Dean turning the pressure of a contract year into truly putting it all together and becoming a top shutdown cornerback in the NFL?
Only the Buccaneers can answer that with what they have available, but the especially difficult thing is that if they do not keep Dean, who is an available commodity to them, then corner will become nearly as gaping of a need as edge rusher.