Learn more about cornerback Jamel Dean in this edition of Five Fast Facts.
1. Jamel Dean signed a three-year contract with the Steelers at the start of free agency. Dean has spent the last seven years with the Tampa Bay Buccaneers after they drafted him in the third round of the 2019 NFL Draft, the 94th overall pick.
2. Dean has appeared in 96 games, starting 77, and recorded 352 tackles, 278 of them solo stops, 11 interceptions, including two returned for a touchdown, 61 passes defensed and seven tackles for a loss. He also has three forced fumbles, two fumble recoveries and a sack.
Dean has appeared in 10 postseason games, starting nine of them. He has recorded 49 tackles in the postseason, including one for a loss, nine passes defensed and one forced fumble. He was a part of Tampa's Super Bowl LV team.
3. One of the things that attracted Dean to the Steelers was the history of the team and the physical style of defense.
"It's about the culture that has been built here over the years," said Dean on what attracted him to the Steelers. "They have a winning culture. And then the defense, the brand of football they play, it fits my play style.
"Physicality. "That's just the nature of the game. There's no room to not play physical. It's better to give the blow, than take it."
He will team up with cornerback Joey Porter Jr. in the secondary, something he is excited about.
"I'm excited because I've been watching him ever since he got to the league," said Dean. "He has great technique at the line of scrimmage. He's going to compete. You can't ask for a man to do more than what he is already doing, work the way he is."
4. Dean played college football at Auburn where he appeared in 26 games and finished with 73 tackles, including four and a half for a loss, 17 passes defensed, two interceptions and one sack.
5. Dean started his own company, DMASID Trucking, which stands for, 'Don't Make A Scene, It's Dean.'
"I was casually riding on the highway and saw a lot of semi-trucks on the road and just started thinking," said Dean. "I had never looked into this industry. The more I started learning about it, it started to be interesting to me so I decided to start my own company."
While he owns the company, you won't see him behind the wheel of one of the semis.
"Oh no," said Dean. "I'll leave it to my drivers."
