Would Bucs CB Jamel Dean Boost Giants' Defensive Backfield?

CB Jamel Dean

Current Team: Tampa Bay Buccaneers
Height: 6-foot-1
Weight: 206 lbs.
NFL Experience: 4 years
School: Auburn (2015-2018)
Giants Current Cap Space: $43,339,480

There are plenty of areas on defense where the New York Giants should look for an upgrade. With Wink Martindale officially returning as defensive coordinator, the team should also have a better idea of how to improve the unit.

Their needs at linebacker are well-documented, and plenty of options are available. However, the Giants can also upgrade their secondary, particularly at cornerback.

The Giants do have a shutdown corner in Adoree’ Jackson. However, Jackson missed seven games with a knee injury, which was a major blow to the defense in the middle of the season. Additionally, the team lacked another shutdown option, while the young Aaron Robinson (who suffered a season-ending knee injury) is arguably better suited against slot receivers and tight ends.

The cornerback free agent market has plenty of talented options available. However, one of them, Jamel Dean of the Bucs, stands above the rest.

Why He’d Be A Fit

After primarily excelling in coverage in his first three seasons, Dean put everything together in 2022 and developed into a jack-of-all-trades corner.

The https://www.pff.com/nfl/players/jamel-dean/3491 for Dean are very solid. He racked up 46 solo tackles while adding seven assists, only missed one tackle, broke up five passes, and held opposing quarterbacks to an 81.3 passer rating.

All of this is made possible by Dean’s physical play. His size and athleticism allow him to control the line of scrimmage and disrupt opposing receivers. Even with his physical play, Dean has good discipline, drawing only one penalty during the season.

Dean is also only 26 years old and is in his athletic prime, meaning that the best could be yet to come for him. This gives him plenty of years where he’s capable of guarding a team’s top receiver.

Drawbacks

Dean’s skillset should be attractive to any team, including the Giants, but he might not be the best fit for the Giants in regards to the defensive scheme.

As mentioned, Martindale is returning as defensive coordinator, meaning the defense will continue to blitz heavily and primarily use man coverage. Dean has a 63.9 grade in man coverage, which certainly isn’t bad, but he operates better in zone coverage, where he has a 78.7 coverage grade.

Dean also isn’t particularly good at pass-rushing. This is likely the result of a small sample size, as he only had five snaps as a pass rusher in 2022, but pass-rushing skills are certainly valuable in a Martindale-led defense.

Finally, PFF states that Dean is a bit of a risk-taker who likes to jump routes, which can potentially result in high-yardage receptions. Despite this tendency, Dean’s skill as a ball-hawk is lacking, as he only recorded two interceptions. That’s not a very good combination, although Dean’s other skills and a fellow shutdown corner like Adoree’ Jackson can compensate for this.

Final Thoughts

Dean would certainly be an upgrade to the Giants’ secondary and make a dangerous cornerback tandem with Jackson. But the Giants may not be his best landing spot if his market value comes to fruition.

Spotrac projects Dean to have a $16.5 million AAV in market value, and PFF projects him to make $17 million a year. That’s a hefty price tag, although it may very well be worth it when he’s ranked as the fifth-best free agent available and the best cornerback available on PFF.

If Dean is outside the Giants’ price range, they can look for a cornerback in the draft. But it would make sense to watch Dean and his potential suitors, especially if the price becomes more affordable.

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