5 Reasons Why the Buccaneers Should Re-Sign Jamel Dean

Prior to the start of the 2025 NFL season, the Tampa Bay Buccaneers were on the verge of cutting ties with veteran cornerback Jamel Dean. As it turned out, though, Dean wasn’t ready to move on quite yet. Instead, he opted to re-negotiate his contract with the team and ultimately agreed to take a significant pay cut in order to stick around with the Bucs for one more season.

The new deal also paved the way for Dean to enter 2026 as an unrestricted free agent, with the expectation being that he would find a new team to provide him with his next multi-year contract.

The fact is, though, a lot has changed over the past 5 months. And although some of the reasons why the team might have considered moving on from Jamel Dean may still exist, there are plenty of other reasons why the Tampa Bay Buccaneers should seriously consider bringing him back on a multi-year contract.

1.Performance

Sep 21, 2025; Tampa, Florida, USA; Tampa Bay Buccaneers cornerback Jamel Dean (35) runs an intercepted back for a touchdown against the New York Jets during the second quarter at Raymond James Stadium. Mandatory Credit: Kim Klement Neitzel-Imagn Images | Kim Klement Neitzel-Imagn Images

Despite the uncertainty surrounding his role on the team heading into this past season, Dean put together arguably his best year as a pro in 2025. When it was all said and done, Dean finished the season with a career-high three interceptions, two forced fumbles and an impressive 81.5 defensive grade from PFF, which was the fourth-highest grade among all NFL cornerbacks in 2025.

2. Experience

Jamel Dean and Todd Bowle — Jan 16, 2022; Tampa, Florida, USA;Tampa Bay Buccaneers defensive coordinator Todd Robert Bowles talks with cornerback Jamel Dean (35) in a NFC Wild Card playoff football game at Raymond James Stadium. Mandatory Credit: Kim Klement-Imagn Images | Kim Klement-Imagn Images

Jamel Dean has played 7 years in the NFL, all of which have been with the Bucs. Dean was drafted by GM Jason Licht in the 3rd round out of Auburn in 2019, and he’s been an important piece of Todd Bowles’ defense ever since.

Not only does Dean have extensive experience playing for Bowles — the two joined the team at the same time — but his familiarity with the complexity of Bowles’ scheme is an asset. Bringing in another veteran to fill Dean’s role — or even just serve as depth behind Morrison and McCollum, should that be the team’s course of action — would involve a significant learning curve for the incoming player. Jamel Dean knows this defense inside and out. And heading into a year where the team is desperate to regain control of the NFC South, having a veteran who is comfortable and experienced with the defensive scheme would go a long way toward elevating a secondary that needs to perform in 2026.

3. Affordability

Dean’s previous contract with the Bucs was a four-year, $52 million deal, paying him an average annual salary of $13 million. Considering Dean had the best season of his career in 2025 and is still on the right side of 30, it’s fair to assume the veteran corner would be in line for a solid pay increase with his next deal.

However, Dean’s next contract may be more affordable than many realize.

After consulting NFL salary cap expert Josh Queipo, a three-year, $45 million contract has been presented as a realistic estimate for Dean’s next contract. For comparison, former Buccaneer Carlton Davis signed a 3-year, $60 million contract with the Patriots last offseason. If the Bucs can re-sign Dean — a better player than Davis — on a deal that will pay him $5 million less per season, that’s excellent value.

4. Misconceptions

It feels like a good portion of the fanbase, and potentially the Buccaneers themselves, have labeled Jamel Dean as injury-prone. I think it’s safe to conclude that that concern is the primary reason why the team was willing to move on from Dean last year in the first place. I’m not saying people who feel that way are wrong, necessarily, but I do think Dean’s injury concerns have been blown out of proportion.

Jamel Dean has missed 21 games over 7 seasons. On average, he misses 3 games per year. Although he’s not exactly a beacon of health, he’s not an injury liability, either. For reference, Mike Evans has missed 18 games over that same timeframe.

5. Depth

Zyon McCollum and Tykee Smit — Jan 5, 2025; Tampa, Florida, USA; New Orleans Saints wide receiver Marquez Valdes-Scantling (10) attempts to catch the ball as Tampa Bay Buccaneers defensive back Zyon McCollum (27) defends in the first half at Raymond James Stadium. Mandatory Credit: Jonathan Dyer-Imagn Images | Jonathan Dyer-Imagn Images

The Buccaneers made it a priority to bolster the depth of their cornerback room heading into 2025 by selecting both Jacob Parrish and Benjamin Morrison in the draft. Although Parrish was exceptional as the team’s primary nickel corner during his rookie season, Morrison — an outside corner, like Dean — missed seven games due to injury. Considering Morrison missed the bulk of his final season at Notre Dame as well due to hip surgery, until we see him stay healthy for the majority of an NFL season, he should not be viewed as a starting CB the Bucs can rely on.

If the Buccaneers re-signed Jamel Dean, though, Morrison could be eased into the rigors of the NFL without as much pressure to perform as an every down starter before proving that he’s capable.

The Buccaneers’ other outside corner, Zyon McCollum, regressed in a big way in 2025. Not only that, but he also missed the final four games of the season due to a hip injury suffered against the Falcons. Although the team still believes in his ability, as it signed him to a three-year, $48 million contract just last September, his regression in 2025 is cause for a certain level of concern.

With two outside corners who many expect to be the future at the position in Benjamin Morrison and Zyon McCollum, both of whom struggled to perform at a high level in 2025, the importance of depth at the cornerback position cannot be overstated enough.

Final Thoughts

Many have assumed that the Buccaneers plan to move on from Dean, but there are plenty of good reasons why the team should re-sign the veteran cornerback who helped the team secure their second-ever Lombardi Trophy back in 2020.

If the Bucs were to retain Dean's services, he would be the Buccaneers’ most reliable corner until proven otherwise. And based on a variety of key factors, including his performance, experience, projected contract, misconceptions about his availability and the overall importance of stacking quality depth at the cornerback position, it’s easy to see why the Buccaneers should at the very least consider re-signing him.

Opting not to retain a high-quality Super Bowl-winning CB on a reasonable contract in favor of younger, unproven players would be a much riskier proposition for the franchise.

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