The Buccaneers have locked up their burgeoning lockdown cover man.
Tampa Bay is re-signing cornerback Jamel Dean, NFL Network Insider Ian Rapoport reported Monday, per sources.
Dean, the 10th-ranked player in Gregg Rosenthal's top 101 free agents, was selected in the third round of the 2019 NFL Draft and has blossomed into a vital defender for the Bucs.
After serving as a rotational piece in 2019 and during Tampa Bay's 2020 Super Bowl run, Dean started 11 of his 15 games played in his third year and started all 15 regular-season games he suited up for last season.
He heads toward his age-27 campaign with seven career interceptions, 41 passes defensed and one touchdown.
It was far from a sure thing that the Buccaneers would retain Dean, given his standing as one of the top available players at one of the league's premier positions, but Tampa Bay can now rest easy knowing it has the boundaries of its secondary set. As the franchise ventures into the post-Tom Brady era on offense, Dean will continue to man the cornerback spot opposite Carlton Davis on defense in the years to come.
