Tampa Bay Buccaneers cornerback Jamel Dean celebrates after a fumble recovery. Jayne Kamin-Oncea-Imagn Images

Buccaneers' $52 million cornerback named cut candidate after NFL Draft

Originally posted on Tampa Bay Buccaneers on SI
By Jeremy Brener | Last updated May 5, 2025 9:00 AM ET

The Tampa Bay Buccaneers have some decisions to make in regards to their roster this offseason.

An uncomfortable one they may have to make soon is with veteran cornerback Jamel Dean, who was named a potential cut candidate by Pro Football Network writer Sterling Xie.

Dean could be cut soon

"PFSN highlighted Jamel Dean as a potential trade candidate in other articles this offseason. That speculation could be cranked up after the Tampa Bay Buccaneers spent both of their Day 2 picks on cornerbacks, bringing in Benjamin Morrison in the second round and Jacob Parrish in the third," Xie wrote.

"Parrish profiles as a slot corner and shouldn’t directly overlap with Dean. However, Morrison was a Round 1 talent who fell due to injury concerns, which included a hip procedure that shortened his 2024 campaign with Notre Dame. However, the early indication is that Morrison shouldn’t have any limitations this offseason, giving him an opportunity to win one of the two starting perimeter cornerback spots along with Dean and Zyon McCollum.

"Dean’s injury history likely played a factor in some of Tampa’s draft choices. In six NFL seasons, Dean has missed multiple games every year. That included a career-low 12 games in 2024. He has two years left on his contract, which would give an acquiring team some control. If the Bucs were to move Dean after June 1, they’d save $12.9 million in cap space this year while taking on $2.3 million in dead money from 2025 through 2027."

Dean is likely safe for now, but he will have to earn his spot in training camp against all of the top competition coming in from this year's draft class.