Buccaneers CB Jamel Dean is Team's Most Underrated Player

The Tampa Bay Buccaneers didn't just keep the best of three defensive backs this offseason, they kept one of their best players nobody talks about.

There were some questions entering the offseason about how many - if any - free agents the Tampa Bay Buccaneers would be able to retain.

One big decision awaited the Bucs after their season ended and it pertained to how they prioritized keeping a trio of defensive backs the team drafted back in 2019. 

According to Pro Football Focus' William Moy when the team re-signed cornerback Jamel Dean, they retained their most underrated player on the roster.

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"Out of 74 cornerbacks who logged at least 600 defensive snaps last season, Dean ranked eighth in terms of overall grade and was one of just three corners to have a coverage grade of at least 75.0 (75.6) to go with a run defense grade of at least 80.0 (82.5)," says Moy. 

Dean, fellow cornerback Sean Murphy-Bunting, and safety Mike Edwards all entered the NFL together, and this offseason they were all set to enter free agency together. 

In their careers, each man played no fewer than 2100 snaps for Tampa Bay since 2019 with Dean leading the trio having been on the field for 2,648 defensive reps in those four seasons.

That can't be the only reason the Buccaneers opted to re-sign Dean while Murphy-Bunting joined the Tennessee Titans and Edwards signed with the Kansas City Chiefs, but the data mentioned by Moy likely helped contribute to that snap-count lead he held coming out of their rookie deals.

Of course, cornerbacks are paid to cover first, and Dean did plenty of that as well.

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"The 73.3 passer rating that Dean allowed into his coverage was the 10th lowest among corners," Moy continues. "And he was the only cornerback to record at least five defensive stops without missing a single tackle last year in run defense."

Linebacker Lavonte David is the wise and beloved veteran, Devin White is the emotional roller-coaster that has fans running for the hills one minute and to the merch stores, the next, and defensive tackle Vita Vea is the steady giant in the middle that keeps it all together. 

But Dean is a valuable contributor, and one who honestly doesn't get enough pub for the things he does. 

Perhaps his new deal, the team choosing him over two other teammates, and PFF identifying Dean as the Bucs' most underrated player, will help him get more of the recognition he deserves.

Find David Harrison on Twitter @DHarrison82

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