Cornerback was an obvious position of need for the Pittsburgh Steelers this offseason, so they quickly addressed those concerns twice on Monday.
Hours after re-signing one of their own cornerbacks, the Steelers added another in former Tampa Bay starter Jamel Dean, who Pro Football Focus rated as the fifth-best free agent available and the top corner. The Steelers agreed to a three-year, $36.75 million contract with the 29-year-old Dean, according to ESPN and NFL Network.
Although contracts can’t be signed until 4 p.m. Wednesday, pending free agents could negotiate with teams starting at noon Monday during the NFL’s so-called legal tampering period.
The Steelers re-signed cornerback Asante Samuel Jr. to a one-year contract earlier Monday.
A third-round draft pick in 2019, Dean played in 96 regular-season games with 77 starts over seven seasons for the Buccaneers. He started and won a Super Bowl as a second-year player with the Bucs.
Last season, the 6-foot-1, 206-pound defensive back made three interceptions, returned one for a touchdown, forced two fumbles and had 46 tackles.
As a cover corner, Dean allowed 4.7 yards per target last season, the fewest surrendered by any cornerback, according to NFL Next Gen Stats. He also ranked best among outside cornerbacks in passer rating (41.3).
Dean earned NFC Defensive Player of the Week honors once last season after recording a sack, a forced fumble and an interception in a 30-19 win over the San Francisco 49ers.
He joins a Steelers cornerback group led by emerging star Joey Porter Jr., who has one year remaining on his rookie contract. They also bring back five-year veteran Brandin Echols, who made three starts last season, his first with the team.
The Steelers lost free agent cornerback James Pierre to the Minnesota Vikings on Monday. He appeared in 95 games over six seasons. A former undrafted free agent, Pierre made five starts in a breakout season last fall.