Who is the Buccaneers' highest graded player at midseason?

The Tampa Bay Buccaneers are looking to sail into the second half of the season with low tides after battling countless waves early in the season. Those battles have been resilient and led the Bucs to an overall record of 6-2 and the top spot in the NFC South as they look to finish the season out strong here in the back half of the year.

The offense has been up and down (mostly up), but it has been the elevated play on the defensive side of the ball this season that has been the real story for this Buccaneers' squad.

The Bucs' defense has shown up and shown out here in 2025 after a couple of down years the past few seasons. They have been able to generate pressures and sacks off the edge, been slightly better at covering the middle of the field and the secondary has come to play with sticky play and timely turnovers that have vaulted the defense into one of the NFL's best halfway through the season.

While much of the praise will be given to what the Bucs were able to add in the draft with youthful talent, veteran cornerback Jamel Dean deserves as much praise as anyone for remaining healthy, playing elite defense and taking the ball away. As underrated as he is, he is the Buccaneers' highest graded player at the midseason point, per Pro Football Focus.

Don't make a scene, it's just Dean!

"Tampa Bay’s defense ranks fourth in EPA per play, and Dean’s performance in the back end has been a driving force. His 90.7 overall PFF grade is the best for any qualified cornerback, and his 30.2 passer rating when targeted is also the lowest among that bunch."

Dean has proven to be one of the best coverage corners in the league. His grade and passer rating when targeted go to show that, but that hasn't been the only area where Dean has been effective for the Bucs' defense this season.

Dean has tackled well from the outside when he is demanded to do so, is tied fourth in interceptions with three, tied fourth in passes defended with six, and is tied fifth in forced fumbles with two. That is excellent production from a player many had ridden off and who took a massive pay cut this season to help the team in a contract year.

Dean struggled to stay healthy the past few seasons, but when he was on the field, he was effective. Unfortunately, the Bucs' depth at the position wasn't the greatest, which caused the entire group to suffer. With that depth now filled after this offseason, Dean has been able to take some of the load off his shoulders and become one of the best shutdown corners in the entire country.

Dean and the rest of the Bucs' defense will look to continue their hot play into the second half of the season and will be tested against some of the league's best quarterbacks, starting with the New England Patriots' Drake Maye in Week 10.

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