The Bucs do not have as tough of an offseason when it comes to deciding on internal free agents. Last year, the team had to allocate funds to re-signing quarterback Baker Mayfield, wide receiver Mike Evans, inside linebacker Lavonte David, and kicker Chase McLaughlin, as well as inking safety Antoine Winfield Jr and left tackle Tristan Wirfs to top-of-the-market contract extensions.

This time around, one of the biggest decisions will be whether or not to cut a player long tied to the team and in the middle of a contract he signed after the 2022 season.

Cornerback Jamel Dean.

ESPN’s Bill Barnwell recently analyzed potential free agency departures and cuts for every playoff team and discussed what that might mean for Dean.

Bucs Would Save Quite A Bit By Cutting Jamel Dean

Bucs CB Jamel Dean – Photo by: Cliff Welch/PR

There is an argument when it comes to keeping Jamel Dean in the fold next season.

At this point, Dean’s track record is one of a solid cornerback – when he’s on the field. One can put him down for missing a few games annually, as through his six years in the NFL, he has yet to play a full regular season. When healthy, the advanced metrics paint him as one of the best 32 cornerbacks in the league.

Pro Football Focus (PFF) has graded him as such throughout his career:

2019: 76.4 defensive grade – 12th of 116 cornerbacks
2020: 76.4 defensive grade – 12th of 121 cornerbacks
2021: 71.8 defensive grade – 20th of 116 cornerbacks
2022: 77.9 defensive grade – 10th of 118 cornerbacks
2023: 74.3 defensive grade – 26th of 127 cornerbacks
2024: 75.7 defensive grade – 16th of 118 cornerbacks

After a career year in 2022, Dean was rewarded with a four-year, $52 million deal. While Tampa Bay’s passing defense has struggled in 2023 and 2024, his strength is in his coverage ability. It has not translated to takeaways, with just one interception in that 25-game span.

Is it worth keeping him around with his injury concerns and lack of ball-hawking ability?

At 28 years old, how much longer can he be productive?

Would replacing him in free agency and/or the 2025 NFL Draft be the best answer to improving the team’s secondary play?

Bill Barnwell posed this possibility and an avenue the Bucs’ front office could pursue if he wants to return.

The Bucs have six players with cap holds over $5 million on their 2025 roster. The only one in danger of being released is Dean, though that’s more a product of injuries than subpar play. He has yet to play a full season as a pro, and he has missed nine full games and significant portions of five more over the past two years because of injuries.

He is a solid corner in a defense with a blitz rate that puts its corners in difficult situations on a regular basis, which will play in his favor, but the 28-year-old’s $13 million compensation is unguaranteed. The Bucs might try to play hardball and ask him to take a pay cut to return.

When going over our first live Bucs mock draft of the offseason on Sunday morning, Josh Queipo and I operated with the team moving on from the veteran cornerback. Doing so would save them $8,284,941, according to Queipo’s calculations.

That chunk of change could help the team sign a replacement, with the top options being Byron Murphy Jr., Charvarius Ward, and Asante Samuel Jr., among others. Trading or releasing Dean would also heighten the need to add younger talent in the cornerback room, and Notre Dame’s Benjamin Morrison, Ole Miss’ Trey Amos, East Carolina’s Shavon Revel, and Iowa State’s Darien Porter look to be the top options when the team picks No. 19 in the 2025 NFL Draft.

Then, it could be a case where general manager Jason Licht double dips with cornerbacks, as he did in 2016 (Vernon Hargreaves III and Ryan Smith), 2018 (M.J. Stewart and Carlton Davis III) and 2019 (Sean Murphy-Bunting and Dean). This decision will not be easy, but it is one Licht and the rest of the Bucs’ front office will have to weigh as a way to improve the team next season.

Watch Our Live Bucs Mock Draft On The PewterReportTV YouTube Channel

For more about how Pewter Report’s Josh Queipo and Adam Slivon approached a scenario where the Bucs move on from Jamel Dean this offseason, check out our live Bucs Mock Draft podcast on our PewterReportTV YouTube channel.