Jamel Dean

Jamel 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.

He 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.

Dean is one of 12 players with 55 passes defensed, 10 plus interceptions and multiple defensive touchdowns since 2019.

Dean led the Bucs with three interceptions in 2025, including one returned for a touchdown, while finishing the season with 46 tackles, 38 of them solo stops. He also had nine passes defensed, two forced fumbles, a tackle for a loss and a sack.

Per NextGen Stats, Dean allowed the fewest yards per target of any cornerback in coverage in 2025, with 4.7 yards. In addition, he allowed the lowest passer rating when targeted among cornerbacks at 41.3.

Dean missed five games in 2024 due to injuries but started 12, finishing the year with 59 tackles, 45 of them solo stops, seven passes defensed, one interception and a forced fumble. He recorded 10 tackles in Week 2 against the Detroit Lions, following that with 13 tackles against the Denver Broncos in Week 13. The combined 23 tackles in a two-game span set a single season record for a cornerback in Bucs history.

In 2023, Dean finished with 61 tackles, 46 of them solo stops. He added four passes defensed and two fumble recoveries while starting all 13 games he appeared in. In Week 7 against the Atlanta Falcons, he finished with 10 tackles and had his first career fumble recovery. In a Wild Card playoff win over the Philadelphia Eagles, he recorded a team-high 10 tackles, including one for a loss, and a pass defensed.

Dean started 15 games in 2022, finished the season with 54 tackles, 41 of them solo stops, one tackle for a loss, two interceptions and eight passes defensed. He was a key part of the Bucs defense that finished tied for ninth in total defense, ninth in pass defense and 13th in points allowed per game. Dean had two interceptions in Week 2 against the New Orleans Saints, the first time in his career he had multiple interceptions in a game.

In 2021, Dean started 11 of 15 games he appeared in. He recorded 52 tackles, 43 of them solo stops, two tackles for a loss, two interceptions and nine passes defensed. The Bucs finished the season allowing the fifth-fewest points per game and seventh-fewest yards per play, while ranking third in rush defense.

Dean started seven of the 14 games he appeared in during the 2020 season, finished with 59 tackles, including a career-high 48 solo stops. He added seven passes defensed, two tackles for a loss, and one interception, which he returned 32 yards for a touchdown against Aaron Rodgers and the Green Bay Packers. Dean recorded four tackles and one pass defense in the Bucs win over the Kansas City Chiefs in Super Bowl LV, holding Chiefs quarterback Patrick Mahomes to a 52.3 passer rating.

In his rookie season in 2019, Dean tied for fourth in the NFL in passes defensed with 17, with three games where he recorded at least four passes defensed. He appeared in 13 games, starting five, and recorded 21 tackles, 16 of them solo stops, two interceptions, and a tackle for a loss.

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.