Bucs Nation
The National Football League today announced that Tampa Bay Buccaneers cornerback Jamel Dean was named the NFC Defensive Player of the Week for Week 6.
In Tampa Bay’s 30-19 win over the San Francisco 49ers in Week 6, Dean recorded an interception, a sack, a forced fumble, four tackles (one for loss), a pass defensed and a quarterback hit. He became the first cornerback to record each an interception, sack and forced fumble in a single game since Week 7 of the 2024 season (Cobie Durant) and was the first NFC defender at any position to accomplish that feat in 2025. Dean’s sack in Week 6 marked the first of his NFL career.
The Auburn product currently leads the team, and ranks tied for fifth in the NFL, with two interceptions this season and among all defenders with 15+ targets this season, Dean’s 20.8 passer rating when targeted is the best mark in the NFL, per Next Gen Stats. Additionally, his 42.1% completion rate allowed when targeted is tied for the second-lowest among all qualified players, while his 1.4 average yards of separation per target is tied with Pat Surtain II for the second-best mark in the NFL, trailing only Sauce Gardner (1.3).
The Buccaneers are off to a 5-1 start in 2025, matching the best record in the NFL and the team’s best start in franchise history.
Dean becomes the second Tampa Bay player to win a player of the week award this season joining Kameron Johnson, who was named the Week 1 NFC Special Teams Player of the Week, in addition to wide receiver Emeka Egbuka earning September Rookie of the Month honors. He becomes the first Tampa Bay cornerback to win the award since Pro Football Hall of Famer Rondé Barber (2012), who claimed the recognition eight times during his storied career.
(Courtesy of the Buccaneers Communications Department.)
