Even though free agency is well behind us, teams around the league are still making moves to trim down their rosters and get the right pieces in place. Many thought that Tampa Bay Buccaneers cornerback Jamel Dean would be among the offseason cap casualties, but he remains a part of the plan -- for now.
The same cannot be said for Jaire Alexander up in Green Bay, and it might have a ripple effect down to Tampa.
Alexander was released on Monday, ending his seven season career with the Packers and sending a Pro Bowler to the open market. Some team is going to take advantage of being able to take a flier on a guy with such high upside, and it could be the Bucs way out of their situation with Dean.
Logic suggests that if the Bucs were going to release Dean, they would have done it by now. He was in a similar situation to Alexander in that he was a trade candidate as much as he was a potential cap casualty, but he's a more tradeable asset thanks to his contract.
That being said, he's seemingly been given a chance to redeem himself with two years left on his contract, which would be the ideal outcome. Dean has the potential to be a top corner in the league, but he's failed to live up to that since signing a $52 million deal back in 2023.
Alexander is in a similar boat, having failed to stay on a Pro Bowl level we've seen him perform at. He grades out nearly identically to Dean -- a 74.2 PFF grade for Alexander to a 74.1 grade for Dean -- but has higher coverage marks that should pique Tampa's interest.
Getting two Pro Bowl-caliber cornerbacks with their backs against the wall in the same secondary feels like a recipie for success. The law of averages suggests that at least one of them will bounce back and the Bucs having two swings at getting the right guy could help boost a secondary that badly needs some depth.
In back-to-back season the Bucs have been ravaged by the injury bug, as well as subpar play, at cornerback. Jason Licht attempted to remedy that by double-dipping on corners in the draft witih Benjamin Morrison and Jacob Parrish, and the continued development of Zyon McCollum is encouraging.
It's still an unproven position group, and both Dean and Alexander getting opportunities to prove themselves could help. A best case scenario is they both flourish and the Bucs get high-level play in the secondary; another outcome is Alexander bouncing back and giving Tampa Bay a replacement option for Dean.
Tampa Bay won't be the only team looking to add Alexander and bringing him in isn't a top priority. Still, the Bucs could do worse than adding him to see what happens and given the Super Bowl-or-Bust stakes this season it certainly isn't a bad gamble to make.
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