How experts graded Jamel Dean’s re-signing

At a position where player performance can vary wildly from year to year, Dean has been awfully consistent. He has allowed 0.8 or 0.9 yards per coverage snap in each of the past three seasons, better than the 1.2 average for outside corners, per NFL Next Gen Stats. And he’s only 26 years old. Put those factors together, and it’s easy to see why Dean was one of the most prized free agents of this offseason. I’m good with the price based on what we know right now, as an average of $16 million per year pays Dean as a solid corner but not a super elite one. And it is a little less than what J.C. Jackson got a year ago, even though the salary cap is higher now.

The Bucs were trying their best to keep their best corner for Todd Bowles and this is a reasonable deal to lock him up.

The Buccaneers are in the midst of rebuilding, yet they see Jamel Dean as a cornerstone moving forward… This offseason, Tampa Bay has released left tackle Donovan Smith and running back Leonard Fournette, and is allowing linebacker Lavonte David to test the market. There was a chance Dean might leave after not being given the franchise tag, but GM Jason Licht kept Dean, making him the 10th-highest paid corner in terms of overall value. At 26 years old, Dean is still an ascending corner. And under coach Todd Bowles’s blitz-heavy scheme, he’ll be a key part of Tampa’s defense for years to come.

The No. 10 free agent in The Athletic’s rankings and second-ranked cornerback (behind James Bradberry) agrees to a four-year, $52 million deal, with $26 million guaranteed.The steady riser was expected to have a number of suitors and land a big pay day. Instead, he remains with Tampa Bay on a deal that isn’t quite as rich as some had anticipated, but suits both sides. Based on how Dean has performed thus far, he’ll certainly earn every penny of this contract. He only just became a full-time starter last season, his fourth as a pro, but already has seven career interceptions.

This is one of the surprises of the entire free agency period. Dean was benched for Tampa’s playoff game against the Dallas Cowboys, and reports indicated that he could sign a really big deal outside of Tampa. It was reported that Dean had a broken toe for the game, but he played 17 special teams snaps, so the whole situation is a bit bizarre.

Nonetheless, Dean was the top young cornerback available on the free-agent market, and Tampa gets exceptional value with this re-signing. Over the last three seasons, Dean ranks behind only Jaire Alexander and Jalen Ramsey in PFF coverage grade at the position. He’s also earned a top-15 coverage grade on press coverage snaps, where he thrives as a big, physical corner who can bump the top outside wide receivers off their routes.