Replacing Jamel Dean
July 14th, 2026
Successor?
Joe has made the case several times this summer that Joe doesn’t know how a defense that loses its best corner actually gets better.
Especially a defense that perpetually is ranked in the 20s for passing yards allowed per game.
Joe thinks, if he is used the right way, the Bucs do have a successor to Jamel Dean as the team’s best corner. That would be Jacob Parrish.
While Parrish this spring had stated he is logging most of his snaps in practice as an outside corner, he was the Bucs’ nickel corner last year as a rookie. And he was damn good.
Now if Joe was calling the shots, it would be a no-brainer that Parrish would start at outside corner. But Joe is not Todd Bowles.
Also this spring, Bowles has stated Parrish is a nickel corner. And rookie Keionte Scott is a nickel corner. And Zyon McCollum is a nickel corner. And maybe Benjamin Morrison, too. And perhaps safety Tykee Smith.
You know what you have when you’ve got five nickel corners and no outside corner? You’ve got a two-bit defense.
However, even though Joe would move Parrish to outside corner, Frank Schwab of Yahoo! doesn’t see Dean’s replacement on the roster.
The Buccaneers had a big loss when cornerback Jamel Dean signed a three-year, $36.75 million deal with the Steelers. Tampa Bay didn’t add anyone to help replace him.
The Bucs didn’t “add” anyone because Joe thinks Parrish will be the eventual replacement.
Joe fears if the Bucs go to battle in Cincinnati in Week 1 facing Joe Burrow, Ja’Marr Chase and Tee Higgins and the Bucs counter with Morrison and McCollum as their outside corners, the Bucs better plan on putting 35 points on the board if they hope to win.