Pro Football Focus has continued its ranking of the top players in each position group over the past few weeks and has praised several Buccaneers players, most recently naming All-Pro safety Antoine Winfield Jr. the best safety in the NFL.
Looking at the rest of the defensive backfield, one current Bucs player is The 32 best cornerbacks Jamel Dean was ranked 18th in the league, with author John Kosko writing: “Dean has been extremely consistent, earning coverage grades of 70.0 or above in all five seasons as a pro. He recorded a career-high 18 stops in 2023 and has a total of 15 missed tackles over his five-year career.”
Buccaneers expect more from Jamel Dean
Despite the positive reviews, most in the Buccaneers front office and locker room would say it was a bit of a disappointing season for Dean, who is ranked 10th overall on that same list. last year.
Buccaneers CB Jamel Dean – Photo courtesy of USA Today
He missed four games and exited another early with an injury, consistent with a trend that has plagued the talented cornerback for much of his career. Dean was also much less effective in coverage, allowing 1.33 yards per coverage attempt, which was his career-high and nearly double his career high of 0.76 yards allowed through the 2023 season.
Even more impressive than his overall regular-season play was the game-defining play he nearly intercepted in the end zone during a win over the Lions in the NFC divisional game — all of which happened after he signed his contract. Favorable expansion last year.
Dean recently said the team expects him to be more of a ball-shooter in 2024, and said cornerbacks coach Kevin Ross texted him during the offseason telling him he needed to get after the ball.
#Buccaneers CB Jamel Dean talks about holding onto the ball for interceptions this season.
“You need to start catching the ball,” cornerback coach Kevin Ross texted him during the offseason.
Dean responded: “I dropped five interceptions last year. Sorry about that.” pic.twitter.com/2JtTS8u7GJ
— Pewter Report 🏴☠️ (@PewterReport) May 28, 2024
Former Buccaneers players also on the list
Buccaneers CB Carlton Davis III and Panthers WR Jonathan Mingo – Photo courtesy of USA Today
Carlton Davis III, who was recently traded from the Buccaneers to the Lions, also made PFF’s list, ranking him 22nd overall, though PFF noted that the site’s rating of Davis may not reflect his actual playing quality.
“Davis is frequently tasked with tracking the opposing team’s top receiver, which never translates to high ratings. However, advanced metrics have favored him more, ranking him 18th over the past two years.”
Davis was in the final year of his contract and was due to be paid $14.5 million in cash, but his frequent injuries led the Buccaneers to trade him for a third-round pick and give third-year cornerback Zion McCollum a chance to become the full-time starter.
Davis, despite injuries and overall poor play, improved seven spots from his position on PFF’s list last year, which shows just how fickle the position as a whole is, with most players at the position varying wildly in performance from year to year.
