The Tampa Bay Buccaneers have a lot of needs on the defense, and they’ll certainly add to that side of the ball with some more young players in the NFL Draft. When that happens, older players could be on the way out, and one Buccaneers cornerback has been at the center of that discussion this offseason.

The Bucs signed cornerback Jamel Dean to a four-year, $52 million deal in 2023, but since then, he hasn’t been producing. This has mainly been due to injury, as he hasn’t played a full NFL season in his career so far. He played 12 games last year and 13 before that, and he’s only had one interception in those two years. The Bucs need better production, and as a result, Dean’s name has been floated as a potential cut or trade candidate this offseason.

Bucs GM Jason Licht spoke at the annual NFL owners meeting in Palm Beach, Florida, and he seemed to give an answer on whether or not the Bucs would move on from Dean.

“So, Jamel, he’s had some injuries the last couple of years. He was a really good player not too long ago,” Licht said. “He has high expectations for himself, and we have high expectations for him. We feel good about Jamel.”

That would make it seem like Dean isn’t going anywhere, and that rationale makes some sense. The Bucs moved on from Carlton Davis at the beginning of last year by trading him to the Detroit Lions, and they proceeded to struggle with some cornerback depth. Licht likely doesn’t want to be in a similar scenario, so retaining Dean would be a way to ensure that doesn’t happen.

That all being said, Dean has to step up his production next year. And to do that, he’ll have to find a way to stay on the field, or Licht won’t be so confident in future seasons.