As excited as people are to see the new-look Buccaneers in action with Tom Brady, the fact remains that the Bucs’ pass defense needs to step up this season if the team is going to make a serious run at the postseason.
Tampa Bay’s defense allowed 270.1 passing yards per game last season, 30th in the league. The team drafted safety Antoine Winfield Jr. in the second round of April’s draft, hoping to add another young, versatile piece to their defensive puzzle.
Tampa Bay has worked hard the past few drafts to improve their secondary, and according to Adam Rank of NFL.com, one of their recent draft picks could be a breakout star in 2020. In his piece looking at the state of the Bucs franchise heading into the season, Rank chose 2019 third-round pick Jamel Dean as his potential star for Tampa Bay.
Per Rank:
“He made his debut later in the season against the Seattle Seahawks when he started for the injured Carlton Davis III. It didn’t go well. He gave up three touchdown passes and yeah, that was the good part. But he did play well down the stretch and the Bucs’ defense really started to excel in the secondary. He could take another big step this season.”
Dean’s game against the Seahawks was a forgettable one, but to his credit he didn’t succumb to the criticism. Dean and fellow cornerback Sean Murphy-Bunting showed flashes of what they are capable of in their rookie seasons. Now, with a year of experience under their belts, they’ll be looked upon to help further carry this secondary going forward.
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