Buccaneers CB Jamel Dean carted off with lower back injury vs. Lions

The Buccaneers and Lions were battling it out in a classic in the NFC Playoffs on Sunday night. Tampa Bay had to finish the game without one of their starting corners. Jamel Dean was injured a number of times in the game, but was eventually carted off late in the fourth quarter. The Lions won the game, defeating Tampa Bay, 31-23.

Jamel Dean being carted off with lower back injury. #NFL #TampaBayBuccaneers pic.twitter.com/DqEE4o4GCg

— Tanner Phifer (@TannerPhiferNFL) January 21, 2024

“The player carted off the field and taken to the X-Ray room. Dean’s lower back was evaluated in the medical tent when he was helped off the field. And sat down on the sideline bench. He couldn’t even sit up straight,” NBC’s Melissa Stark reported on the television broadcast.

The Lions are going to their first NFC Championship game since 1991, only the second appearance in franchise history. They’ll face off against the San Francisco 49ers next Sunday.

Losing Dean in the lineup was a major blow to the Buccaneers secondary. After he left the game with his injury, the Lions targeted his backup Zyon McCollum three times on the following drive. According to Next Gen Stats, Dean allowed just 14 receiving yards on two catches, whereas McCollum allowed 56 yards and a touchdown. Dean nearly had an interception early in the game, but dropped it. He finished with 15 tackles and four passes defended in the 2024 postseason.

Buccaneers offensive coordinator Dave Canales has been popular

Even though their season might have been cut short, it was still an impressive run to the playoffs for the Buccaneers. Their offensive coordinator, Dave Canales, has been one of the hottest commodities in the offseason and for good reason. He interviewed for the Carolina Panthers head coaching position.

The Bucs offense put up impressive numbers and quarterback Baker Mayfield had one of the best seasons of his NFL career. He completed 64.3% of his passes for 4,044 passing yards, while tossing in 28 touchdowns with just 10 interceptions.

The Buccaneers also had two 1,000-yard receivers, Chris Godwin and Mike Evans. They’ve both long been one of the best wide receiver tandems in the league. Evans is a free agent this offseason and it’ll be interesting to see if he decides to head elsewhere. His consistency in his career has been nothing short of spectacular–Evans became the first player in league history to begin their career with 10-straight 1,000-yard seasons.

Buccaneers running back Rachaad White also established himself among the league’s best at the position, racking up over 1,600 all-purpose yards and 16 total touchdowns. There’s still plenty of time in the offseason for the Bucs to figure out which pieces they’ll bring back for next year. For now, plenty of question marks surround the future of their team. But they’ve got to be very proud of the excellent season they had.