“I’ll do better, Coach.”
Leave it to the outfit that thinks Mike Evans is the league’s 20th-best receiver to label Jamel Dean — and his 29-game pickless streak — one of the most underappreciated players in the NFC South.
As a rookie third-round pick, Dean had a whopping 17 passes defensed and 2 interceptions in 2019. Last season, he was down to 4 defended passes and 0 picks.
Yeah, there’s a lot more to playing cornerback than those stats, but they do tell a story. Perhaps that’s why Dean was on the trading block? Combine Dean’s fat salary, declining production and penchant for injuries, it’s fair to wonder about Dean’s value.
But hold up, says the PFF Tribe henchman, aka Pro Football Focus. Their tribal report on The33rdTeam.com says Dean is one of the five most underappreciated in the Bucs’ division.
Cited were Dean consistently having more than 50 tackles per season and his top-level speed, strength and coverage ability.
Joe is a Dean fan. He’s been a hell of a late-third-round draft pick. But is he overpaid and fading? Probably.
Still, Dean is 27 years old and more than capable of a bounceback season as the Bucs’ true No. 1 cornerback. Joe is not prediciting that today, but Joe is confident Dean understands and will respect his new responsiblity and expectations after this winter’s Carlton Davis trade.
