5 Buccaneers to blame (and 3 to praise) after 27-14 loss in Week 11

Loser: Jamel Dean

When Jamel Dean re-signed with the Bucs this offseason, it was viewed as a huge win for a team that was prepared to lose almost everything in the wake of Tom Brady retiring.

The Bucs took their medicine for the Brady Years, but the price paid didn't include losing Dean to free agency. Rather than leave he came back (Good!) on what is largely a team-friendly deal (Even Better!). Since getting paid, though, Dean has hardly looked like the top cornerback he was billed as ahead of free agency opening, and his deal ages poorly with each lackadaisical performance he turns in (Bad!).

Sunday was another in a long line of bad games for a guy who is supposed to be one of the Bucs best defensive players. Dean was burned twice by Brandon Aiyuk, with play going for a 76-yard touchdown.

Just about everything that could go wrong went wrong on that play. Dean failed to properly press coverage at the line, which caused him to fall behind Aiyuk and forced him to make a bad play on the ball. The result was a touchdown and an injury to Dean that knocked him out for the rest of the game.

This isn't the first time something like this has happened. He was cooked by Nico Collins on the first of five touchdown passes by C.J. Stroud back in Week 9. Dean wasn't on the field for any of the other four scores because he left the game and didn't return after giving up the touchdown.

Sound familiar?

Dean is a good player, but he's hardly played like one this season. With Carlton Davis also struggling, the Bucs secondary is in shambles and that begins with its best player not living up to standard.