Bucs send another loud message to Jamel Dean after adding his possible replacement in Round 2 of the draft
It started a few weeks ago when Todd Bowles spoke with reporters at the league's annual spring meetings. He made it very clear how the Tampa Bay Buccaneers desperately needed more reliable cornerbacks and that Jamel Dean's starting job isn't guaranteed in 2025.
"We don’t have a lot of depth. That’s crystal clear – we don’t have a lot of depth," Bowles told reporters. "We hope to address that at some point in the draft, as well... We’re going to address that in the draft.
"... Dean has to get healthy. He comes in and he plays – he can’t play half a year, every couple of years. He understands he has to stay healthy and he’s doing everything he can to be healthy, but we have to have some depth there just in case. If somebody comes in and competes with him, he’s going to have to compete.”
The Bucs followed up on Bowles' message by drafting Notre Dame Fighting Irish cornerback Benjamin Morrison with the 53rd overall pick in the draft. Morrison is a very good corner that can play both zone and man coverages and he comes from a press-heavy scheme, which is right up the alley of the Bucs defense. He also plays the run well and can be used off the edge as a blitzer when needed.
And most importantly, Morrison has shown he can take the ball away by picking off nine passes over his first two years at Notre Dame (he recorded zero in 2024 but only played in six games due to injury).
Make no mistake about it: Morrison is here to push Dean for a starting job. The veteran has yet to figure out a way to stay healthy or take the ball away on a consistent basis. So, the Bucs needed to bring in someone that's not a Day 3 pick or former UDFA as insurance for the present and a plan for the future.
Morrison has an injury history of his own he needs to show he's overcome, but if he has, the battle between these two will be fun to track.
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