Cornerback Jamel Dean shines statistically, but age and recent injuries cloud his future. Will the Tampa Bay Buccaneers invest in a veteran corner or bet on youth?
The Tampa Bay Buccaneers have 16 players who could become unrestricted free agents when the window opens in March, and Jamel Dean is among the most prominent.
For certain stretches in 2025, Dean played the best football of his career, ending the season with three interceptions and two forced fumbles, both career bests.
Dean also led all Bucs with nine passes defended, and quarterbacks throwing against him had a 63.1 rating (the league average is thought to be around 80).
Pro Football Focus loves Dean, too. Of 114 cornerbacks, PFF rated Dean third.
All of this suggests the Bucs should re-sign Dean, but that might not be in the cards.
Among the first things to look at with any free agent is age. Dean is going to be 30 in October, an age when many players, especially at cornerback, start to drop off.
Tampa also must consider his health. Dean has been healthy-ish for his career, never playing in fewer than 12 games in any of his seven NFL seasons -- all with the Bucs. At the same time, he's only played 15-game seasons twice, both of which in the 17-game era, so he isn't exactly an ironman, either.
This past season, Dean missed three games, including Tampa's do-or-die Week 18 clash against the Carolina Panthers.
One can't fault a player for being injured, but it is a factor organizations must consider when deciding whether somebody should be part of their long-term future.
Players don't tend to get healthier when they're in their 30s, so that's something Dean has working against him.
Another thing working against him is that, for some reason, the Bucs don't seem to see Dean as their No. 1 defensive back.
Per PFF, Dean was Tampa's best overall defense player (81.5 grade), but only played the third-most snaps among Tampa's cornerbacks. Part of this is due to Dean missing three games, but Zyon McCollum logged 105 more snaps than Dean despite playing in one fewer contest.
McCollum is three years younger than Dean, and Jacob Parrish, who also logged more snaps than Dean, is barely old enough to drink.
So the Bucs might be going younger at corner, and if that's the case, it's hard to imagine the Bucs paying Dean to be part of their long-term plans.
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