Bucs have been playing with fire and it burned them against the Patriots
It’s time to rethink the Jamel Dean-Benjamin Morrison rotation because the situation has changed.
A few weeks ago, when the Tampa Bay Buccaneers played the Detroit Lions on Monday Night Football, ESPN’s broadcast crew, mainly sideline reporter Laura Rutledge, was confused as to what was going on with Jamel Dean.
What it came down to was simple: The crew didn’t completely check the due diligence box and missed the fact Dean and fellow rookie Benjamin Morrison had been rotating (when healthy) all season long.
It made sense in the beginning of the year. Dean simultaneously took a massive pay cut to stay with the team and saw the final year of his deal voided. Meaning, he’d be a free agent after 2025 instead of playing out the 2026 season and hitting the market in 2027.
Morrison was viewed as Dean’s successor, so why not get him some early experience? It made sense, especially when considering Dean’s inconsistencies in certain areas.
The situation has changed since the beginning of the year, however. Dean is playing at an elite level and is currently one of the NFL’s best corners. He routinely locks down his assignments and he’s been making plays on the ball all year long. He will make his first-ever Pro Bowl if he continues at the pace he’s on and he could even get an All-Pro nod.
So, the idea to pull him for Morrison, who, again is a rookie, became riskier and riskier each week. At some point, he’d make a mistake. Because, well, that’s what all rookies do. The most worrisome question though was at what point in the game would he make said mistake and how much would it cost the Bucs?
Well, we found out on Sunday when Morrison allowed a 72-yard catch-and-run touchdown to New England Patriots receiver Kyle Williams. Morrison got beat off the line and couldn’t keep up with Williams. Drake Maye threw a perfect ball and Williams took it to the house. The touchdown tied the game up at seven apiece and played a big role in the Patriots’ five-point win.
Todd Bowles doesn’t plan on changing anything, but he should
Morrison was also flagged for defensive pass interference on the next drive. Bowles was adamant about keeping the rotation status-quo when he spoke with reporters after the game.
“We’ve been putting him in all year,” said Bowles. “So the fact he gave up this play, this game, there’s no reason to single him out. We’re getting him reps and Dean knows he gets reps. We have a system that we go with (and it’s) the fact that we trust him to make plays. He gave up a play. It doesn’t matter whether who was in there – if you give up a play, we’re not gonna give up on you. He gave up a play and he’ll learn from it [and] he’ll be better.”
Sure, you can’t completely drop a guy because of one play. At the same time, Bowles is kind of speaking out of both sides of his mouth as he’s said in the past you can have a great game but allowing one big play can ruin it all. That sentiment has been passed along to players and even echoed by guys like Antoine Winfield Jr. in the past.
Regardless, no one is asking Bowles to give up on Morrison by any means. But again, the situation has changed. Football is all about adapting and putting guys in the best position, right? Bowles should really consider adapting to the fact that Dean is one of the NFL’s best corners and puts the Bucs defense in the best spot possible by having him on the field as often as possible.
When Lavonte David was in his prime, he didn’t rotate with anyone, did he? No. The only time he came off the field was either injury-related, he simply needed a quick breather, or the game was out of reach on one end or the other.
He didn’t come off the field so other guys could develop – he was the guy (and still is for the most part). Sure, Dean may not be in the Bucs’ long-term plans contractually, but this is a team with Super Bowl expectations and it’s still 6-3 despite a rough month. Bowles should be playing every single down for the present, not the future.
If Dean was out there on the field, who knows what would’ve happened, but the odds of him not allowing the touchdown are obviously better than Morrison’s.
It’s not complicated. Play your best players as much as possible. And in this case, “Adapt or Die” couldn’t ring more true.
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