Is Jamel Dean the veteran cornerback who can finally stabilize the Steelers’ secondary?
The Steelers have relied on veteran cornerbacks in recent years, Jamel Dean being the latest. Can he finally stabilize the secondary? They didn’t get what they were looking for out of Patrick Peterson; last year, Darius Slay didn’t even make it through the season. In between, Donte Jackson delivered turnovers, but otherwise had his struggles.
This offseason, the Steelers had two cornerbacks, James Pierre and Asante Samuel Jr., hitting free agency. They re-signed Samuel to a modest contract, but Pierre left, and they replaced him with Jamel Dean. Dean is significantly more experienced and accomplished, and actually slightly younger.
But the Steelers have felt good about their cornerback pickups each year, so what makes Dean better? Donte Jackson was of a similar age, though the others were older. Patrick Peterson was turning 33, but coming off a five-interception season. Regardless of what they did the previous year, though, past results don’t guarantee future production.
In the case of Jamel Dean, the Steelers are getting a cornerback coming off one of his best seasons. On top of three interceptions, he allowed a completion rate under 50 percent. While he did allow a couple of touchdowns, that’s the norm. He has only allowed 16 across seven seasons, which is far from horrible, and never more than four. In fact, he’s allowed six over the past three years.
On top of that, Dean has a long history of being a good tackler, a trait the Steelers really value at cornerback. That was definitely not the case for some of his predecessors, like Jackson, and Slay late in his career. Even in that area, Dean is coming off one of his best seasons.
But one concern is his health. Jamel Dean turns 30 in October, and he has missed games every season of his career. Over the past three years, he has missed 12 games, including three in 2025. But he performed well when he did play, and the Steelers have depth with Asante Samuel. And there’s a good chance they draft a cornerback in the second or third round, too.
The Steelers exited the playoffs in the first round yet again, a pattern going back to 2017.With seven consecutive postseason losses and no wins in nearly a decade, they are facing another long, long offseason. No doubt we will see many changes, but none will top Mike Tomlin’s resignation.
The NFL has crowned its latest champion, but for us and the Steelers, we have been in offseason mode. That’s what happens when the team you coverloses by the middle of January all the time, but you’ve been around, so you know that already. Enjoy the ride, even the turbulence, because it’s the only way we know how to travel anymore.
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