The Pittsburgh Steelers lost running back Kenneth Gainwell to the Tampa Bay Buccaneers during the first day of the league’s legal tampering period. In return, the Steelers are agreeing to a contract with Buccaneers cornerback Jamel Dean.
NFL Network’s Tom Pelissero reported the Steelers will sign Dean to a 3-year, $36.75 million contract. The cornerback, and every NFL free agent, can officially sign at 4 pm ET Wednesday.
Until then, representatives of each unrestricted free agent can agreed to handshake agreements during the legal tampering period.
Deal done by @ErikBurkhardt of @RocNationSports.
Dean spent seven seasons with the Buccaneers from 2019-25. He started seven games for the team during the 2020 campaign when the organization won the Super Bowl.
During 2025, Dean posted 46 combined tackles, nine pass defenses and three interceptions in 14 games. He’s started every game in which he’s played over the past four years.
Steelers Sign CB Jamel Dean: Report
With Dean, the Steelers are taking another stab at solidifying their secondary with a veteran cornerback. This offseason, Pittsburgh needed to address the starting cornerback spot opposite Joey Porter Jr.
Pittsburgh’s strategy of acquiring veteran cornerbacks dates back even further than Porter’s tenure. Since Porter’s arrival, the Steelers have signed former All-Pro Patrick Peterson in 2023 and traded for veteran Donte Jackson during 2024.
Last offseason, the Steelers used free agency and the trade market to boost cornerback. Pittsburgh signed Darius Slay and traded for Jalen Ramsey.
But Slay didn’t finish the 2025 campaign with the Steelers, and Ramsey moved to safety.
Ramsey could play more cornerback again in 2025, but with the arrival of Dean, the Steelers will likely continue to use Ramsey in multiple secondary spots.
The Athletic’s Daniel Popper ranked Dean the No. 6 free agent cornerback of the 2026 offseason. Popper projected the 29-year-old to sign a 3-year, $54 million deal.
The Steelers landed him for considerably less.
“Dean is a big, thick cornerback with size and speed. He is an easy mover, but he has struggled with injuries in his career,” Popper wrote. “Dean missed four games with a foot injury in 2023. He also suffered a back injury in the playoffs that season. In 2024, he landed on injured reserve with a hamstring injury.
“He also missed time with a knee injury that season. In 2025, he missed three games with a hip flexor injury.”
Steelers CB Depth Early in 2026 NFL Free Agency
NFL free agency is less than a day old, but the Steelers are already going through significant changes at cornerback.
With Dean, the Steelers have landed an upgrade, at least on paper, for the position. But Pittsburgh did lose James Pierre to the Minnesota Vikings on Monday.
Pierre replaced Slay in the starting lineup during the second half of 2025. Over six seasons with Pittsburgh, Pierre posted 147 combined tackles, 22 pass defenses and four interceptions.
However, the Steelers did retain cornerback Asante Samuel Jr. The former rising star signed with Pittsburgh mid-season in 2025 after undergoing neck surgery last offseason.
In six games, Samuel posted 10 combined tackles, one pass defense and an interception. Samuel started three contests toward the end of 2025 for Pittsburgh.
The 26-year-old is arguably still a reclamation project. That’s evident by the fact the Steelers won’t be counting on Samuel as a Week 1 starter. Samuel started 47 contests with the Los Angeles Chargers from 2021-24.
Instead, Porter and Dean will be Pittsburgh starting cornerbacks.
But another year removed from neck surgery and a full offseason of training with the Steelers, Samuel could be poised for a much bigger 2026 impact.
Steelers Signing Super Bowl Champion CB for $36.75 Million: Report