The Pittsburgh Steelers had a very eventful offseason in free agency, highlighted by trading for former Indianapolis Colts wide receiver Michael Pittman. Pittsburgh added reinforcements on both sides of the ball ahead of the upcoming season, including the addition of cornerback Jamel Dean.
Now, with OTAs underway for the Steelers, ESPN writer Bill Barnwell believes Dean was the best offseason addition for the Steelers.
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“The league generally doesn’t want to pay cornerbacks as they approach 30, with the Steelers as one of the few exceptions,” Barnwell wrote on Thursday. “Though in years past they’ve gone after players who have lost value, such as Jalen Ramsey and Patrick Peterson, Dean is still playing at a very high level. Lining up in a blitz-heavy scheme under coach Todd Bowles in Tampa Bay, Dean gave up a 63.1 passer rating in coverage last season, one of the best marks in the league. His 2.1% missed tackle rate also ranked among the league leaders, and Dean has consistently been a very good tackler in his seven-year career.”
Even at 29 years old, Dean can still provide a major impact for the Steelers. He is expected to line up on the outside, opposite of former Penn State cornerback Joey Porter Jr. Steelers fans have pushed the organization for years to add another high-quality corner to help Porter with top receivers, but the aforementioned Ramsey and Peterson were not able to live up to the team’s standards.
Dean has been a shutdown corner for the Tampa Bay Buccaneers in his career, and he looks to continue that this season.
Steelers Strategically Designed Jamel Dean’s Contract
Dean’s contract isn’t the typical three-year deal. Most require the organization to hold on to the player for the duration of the contract or incur dead cap based on how much money they guaranteed a player prior to his release. However, it’s a much different situation for Dean in Pittsburgh.
“The Steelers are only really on the hook for one year and $13.5 million, leaving them with plenty of flexibility if Dean does take a step back in his age-30 season,” Barnwell added. “Between their devastating trio of pass rushers on the edge and the combination of Dean and Joey Porter Jr. on the outside, new defensive coordinator Patrick Graham should have everything he needs to shut down opposing passing games in 2026.”
The extra $13.5 million comes from what the Steelers would have to pay Dean in order to cut him after the 2026 season, according to Spotrac. General manager Omar Khan and owner Art Rooney II certainly hope that is not the case, but the front office has shown it is willing to make these decisions if it is best for the organization moving forward.
Jamel Dean Looks to Give Strong Boost to Steelers Defense
It’s been several years since the Steelers had two strong corners, on paper, as they do for the upcoming season. Fans would have to go back to 2021 when the team went into the season with Joe Haden and Ahkello Witherspoon as the outside cornerbacks with Cameron Sutton in the slot for a secondary with as much potential as the group does this season.
Ramsey, Brandin Echols and Asante Samuel Jr. will compete for the final position among the starting cornerbacks. It’s going to be a new-look Steelers defense that utilizes a lot of nickel formation to help slow down opposing passing attacks. All six players can tackle well, too, in the event they are asked to slide inside and help stop the run from time to time.
