The buccaneers have locked up their growing cover.
Tampa Bay are re-signing defenseman Jamel Dean, NFL Network insider Ian Rapoport said on Monday, according to sources.
No. 10 on Gregg Rosenthal’s Top 101 Free Agents list, Dean was selected in the third round of the 2019 NFL Draft and has turned into a vital quarterback for the Bucks.
After serving as a rotation in 2019 and during the Tampa Bay Super Bowl in 2020, Dean started 11 of his 15 games played as a sophomore and started all 15 regular season games he equipped in last season.
He heads into his campaign at age 27 with seven career interceptions, 41 pass defenses and one touchdown.
It’s far from certain that the Buccaneers will keep Dean, given his position as one of the best players available in one of the league’s top positions, but Tampa Bay can now rest easy knowing he has marginal secondaries. As the franchise moves into the post-Tom Brady era on offense, Dean will continue to play defensively alongside Carlton Davis on defense in the coming years.
Source: www.nfl.com