The Tampa Bay Buccaneers didn't have a great outing in Week 11 against the San Francisco 49ers, as they picked up a 27-14 loss when all was said and done. As if falling to 4-6 on the season wasn't bad enough, it appeared as if Tamp had lost one of their top cornerbacks in Jamel Dean to a serious injury after he was taken to the locker room on a cart with an ankle injury.
It's been a rough season for Dean, who has struggled with injuries while allowing the highest completion percentage (66.7 percent) and passer rating (118.7) of his career on passes thrown his direction. But the Bucs don't have many better options to throw on the field than him, which is why his presence is so important. Thankfully, it seems like Dean has avoided a serious injury, and is being labeled as “week-to-week” with his current ankle injury.
Via Ian Rapoport:
“The Bucs appear to have dodged a bullet with CB Jamel Dean. Sources say the ankle injury he suffered against the 49ers has him week-to-week, and while he might miss time, it's not considered to be a long injury. Based on what it looked like initially, this is good news.”
The Buccaneers defense needs Jamel Dean to stay healthy
Dean really took a step forward in 2022, and earned himself a nice four-year, $52 million contract from the Buccaneers in free agency over the offseason. The problem is that Dean simply hasn't been that good this season, and while part of it is due to injuries, there's no excuse for the decline in play we have seen from him this season.
Chances are Dean will be forced to miss Tampa Bay's Week 12 contest, but maybe that will allow him to get fully healthy for the stretch run of the season, and that could be just what the Buccaneers need. Either way, this is a positive update for what seemed to be a dire injury situation, and it looks like Dean will find his way back on the field at some point this season.
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