We've officially made it, folks. After a long offseason of trying to figure out which pieces were the right ones to have on the board, the Tampa Bay Buccaneers are mounting what we all hope is the beginning of a Super Bowl run.
What a way to celebrate the team's 50th anniversary than adding another ring to the franchise's collection.
It won't be an easy road, though. While the Bucs have been more competitive than anyone gave them credit for after Tom Brady's retirement, the furthest the team has gone in the playoffs is the Divisional Round. Part of what has held Tampa Bay back is lackluster play on defense, an area that should be a strength given the talent on that side of the ball.
Resources have been an issue, with injuries already eating into the depth chart before the season can even begin. That's why the team deciding not to act on letting Jamel Dean go has gone from a little weird to something that could pay off big in the end.
Buccaneers keeping Jamel Dean might end up being a blessing
Dean signed a $53 million contract to stay in Tampa Bay back in 2023, and it's safe to say he's barely lived up to expectations. Injuries and subpar play have soured fans on a player everyone was universally excited to see stick around a few years ago.
When Dean is at the top of his game he's one of the best cornerbacks in the league. He was a key piece of a defense that won a Super Bowl five years ago and was a founding member of the Grave Diggers secondary.
He's now the only one left, and it looked like he was going to be shown the door this offseason. First, he was a potential cap casualty before becoming a trade candidate; he ended up neither. The Bucs decided to hold onto Dean and bet on him one more time before something more definitive happens next March.
Dean is entering the penultimate year on that $53 million contract, and the Bucs can save some serious cash if they let him go next offseason. Tampa Bay can gain about $10 million in cap space if Dean is a pre-June 1st cut, which, in addition to the arrival of rookies Benjamin Morrison and Jacob Parrish, means he's playing for his job this season.
That's a good spot for everyone to be in. We all know Dean is capable of being a top corner and he's highly motivated to remind everyone of that. The Bucs are already dealing with a thin secondary thanks to injuries which puts Dean in an even brighter spotlight to shine.
It seemed like a no-brainer move that Dean would be moved in some capacity this offseason, but keeping him has turned a weird situation into one where we could see a return to form for one of the most important pieces of Tampa Bay's defense.
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