Buccaneers sign 2019 third-rounder Jamel Dean

2019 third-round pick Jamel Dean has signed his rookie contract with the Buccaneers, the team announced Monday.

Dean, who played his college ball at Auburn, should figure heavily into Tampa Bay’s plans for its secondary. With a lot of youth at the position, there will be plenty of opportunities for Dean and fellow rookie Sean Murphy-Bunting to battle it out for a cornerback spot. The 6-foot-1, 206-pound corner is the seventh player to be signed from Tampa Bay’s 2019 draft class.

Dean’s deal is of course the standard four-year contract for rookies drafted after the first round. His size should serve him well in the NFL, but he certainly doesn’t lack speed to go along with his frame. At the NFL Scouting Combine, he recorded the best 40-yard dash time of any cornerback.

With Dean now signed, first-round pick Devin White is the only member of the Bucs’ draft class who has yet to sign with the team. There is no reason to believe that deal won’t be done before the team gets together for training camp later this month. The team’s first practice is July 26, so expect White to sign before then.