Last season, the Buccaneers defense suffered injuries at crucial positions far too frequently. That was especially true in the defensive backfield, as the Bucs’ Super Bowl-winning safety tandem played seven total games together.
While they boast what should be one of the league’s best offenses, Tampa Bay’s defense will, once again, be under the microscope in 2025. That’s especially true for $52 million cornerback Jamel Dean, as ESPN’s Jenna Laine named him as the player under the most pressure this morning.
Bucs CB Jamel Dean Under the Most Pressure in 2025
Early in the offseason, Jamel Dean made headlines as a trade candidate. Before training camp, he again grabbed headlines as a cut candidate. That’s never a great sign to be on both of those lists. But, as of now, he’s still on the Bucs.
With no guaranteed money left on his contract, the Buccaneers could save just under $12.9 million by cutting Dean. Luckily for him, though, Tampa Bay isn’t hurting for cap space.
The main problem for Dean has been his inability to stay healthy. He’s missed 18 total games during his six seasons with the Bucs, but nine of those have come in the past two years.
Unfortunately, during his stretch of four straight absences during the middle of the 2024 season, the Bucs went 0-4 and gave up an average of over 31 points per game. With cap hits of over $15 million in each of the next two seasons, Jamel Dean will need to get closer to his 2022 production level to avoid another offseason as a potential cap casualty.
During the 2022 season, Dean played a career-high 885 defensive snaps, recording 57 tackles, eight pass deflections and two interceptions. Following his career year, PFF’s Sam Monson ranked the Bucs corner as the No. 10 player at the position.
Monson praised him as “one of the league’s most underrated cornerbacks,” writing that “he makes quarterbacks and receivers work for every yard.”
Tampa Bay Needs Dean to Stay Healthy
As Laine points out, the Buccaneers invested heavily at cornerback during this April’s draft. They drafted cornerbacks Benjamin Morrison and Jacob Parrish with their second- and third-round picks.
While Morrison has fully recovered from last year’s season-ending hip surgery, he’s been dealing with a hamstring injury recently. Morrison has yet to play during the preseason, but Bucs head coach Todd Bowles doesn’t seem too worried.
According to Rick Stroud of the Tampa Bay Times, Bowles raved about Morrison’s mental reps and work ethic.
“I don’t think it’s a huge setback,” Bowles said, according to Stroud. ”He watches film all the time, comes in early and puts the tape on. He wants to learn. It’s just about physically going through the reps. Mentally, he goes through them.”
“He’s not a guy to just sit in the training room and be hurt,” Bowles continued. “He’s trying to get better at all the little things so when he comes back he’s ready to go. We think he’ll be ready, and we won’t have any problem putting him in when we need to put him in.”
On the other hand, Parrish has excelled on the field this offseason. He nabbed an interception during the Bucs first preseason game. Then, he delivered “another stellar performance” against the Steelers on Saturday, according to Buccaneers Staff Writer/Reporter Brianna Dix.
While the Bucs can count on Dean to bring a veteran presence, they’re likely hoping that he returns to his 2022 production level. If not, Tampa Bay may opt to turn toward the younger members of their defensive backfield.
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