TAMPA, Fla. — Wearing different colors in a familiar place, Jamel Dean joked earlier in the week that he hoped he didn’t mistakenly walk into the wrong locker room at Raymond James Stadium.
The Pittsburgh Steelers cornerback, who spent the first seven seasons of his career with the Tampa Bay Buccaneers, felt the emotions of the homecoming during warmups on Sunday. Later in the afternoon, former teammates shouted his name from the sideline.
“I was like, ‘Alright, man, I gotta lock in,” Dean said after a 26-19 win that required overtime to decide.
DON’T MAKE A SCENE‼️ pic.twitter.com/CPVwIyqjet
— Pittsburgh Steelers (@steelers) October 18, 2026
Dean, who played 96 regular season games and won a Super Bowl with a Jolly Roger on the sides of his helmet, walked out as one of Mike McCarthy‘s two captains for the pregame coin toss, then picked off a pass and broke up six others in the triumph over Todd Bowles’ crew.
With him back in the mix, the Steelers secondary solidified, allowing undrafted rookie Jalon Daniels to pass for 164 yards, one touchdown and another interception. Earlier in the week, Dean had about as detailed of a scouting report as anyone on Tampa Bay receivers, Chris Godwin and Emeka Egbuka.
“For the most part, you watch the film you can on him,” Dean said about preparing for Daniels. “You can’t take the guy lightly because on Thursday night (in a win over the Cowboys), he showed that he’s capable of winning a game. So you just pay attention to all the little stuff that he does well and then just focus on that.”
‘More of a test trial’
Dean signed with the Steelers in March expecting to patrol the air with budding young coverman Joey Porter Jr. on the opposite boundary. Instead, the two never stepped into the same huddle, not even in practice.
As Pittsburgh has adjusted to life without Porter, who they sent to Dallas earlier this month, they’ve also had to account for injuries in the secondary. During a Thursday night loss to Cleveland, not 24 hours after the trade, Dean sprained his ankle and Jalen Ramsey broke his wrist. The latter refused to miss a game, while the former was sidelined for last week’s home win over the Indianapolis Colts.
Rookie Daylen Everette was pushed into action in Dean’s absence and, with DeShon Elliott (hamstring/knee) still waiting to get back on the field, Robert Spears-Jennings was, too. A few days before the victory over Indianapolis, Ramsey was asked about the secondary coalescing with those two — and two pickups, Sean Murphy-Bunting and Terell Smith — and used the word “disconnect” in his answer about the process, which was blown out of proportion.
Even with Dean back in action, Everette was cycled in. Daniels took note and went his way a good bit.
“That was part of the rotation,” Steelers head coach Mike McCarthy said. “You go through a week of prep … I don’t wrestle with the play time as much, especially early in the year.”
“It was more of a test trial to see how it (was) holding up, before just letting me rock out,” Dean said.
Early in the fourth quarter, Everette pulled down his first career interception. Dean reflected on his own, relating to how “it’s a confidence builder, and it kinda gives yourself that reminder of, ‘Hey, I can play in this league,'” Dean said.
Dean, too, added one to his career total, which now sits at a dozen.
‘Couldn’t write the script any better’
On a second-and-10 from the Buccaneers’ 37-yard line, Daniels palmed a shotgun snap. Instantly, he squared his feet and fired it toward the right sideline. Running an eight-yard out from the slot, Egbuka didn’t even see him let go of it.
Dean did, though.
No. 35 hopped up to snare it, then broke into a sprint down the border. If not for Daniels’ pursuit, jostling him out of bounds at the 3, Dean’s vision might have materialized.
“It was a bittersweet moment. More on the sweeter side,” Dean said. “It was a good feeling. I was like, ‘How ironic would it be if I get a pick-six against the Bucs in the stadium, because my last pick-six was here last year. I said, ‘Oh, that would be kinda interesting to be on the opposite team and do it.’ I was close.”
“Wish he would’ve got in the end zone, but hell of a play,” star outside linebacker T.J. Watt said. “That guy’s been real consistent since he’s been here.”
With 1:38 remaining in regulation, Dean set Aaron Rodgers and the offense up in position for a go-ahead score. Four plays later, Chris Boswell nailed a 20-yard field goal, which handed the Steelers their first lead of the day after falling behind 16-3 in the third quarter.
“Man, what a big play for Dean there,” McCarthy said. “You couldn’t write the script any better.”
Outside linebacker Nick Herbig also phrased it as something usually typed up.
“That’s like a storybook ending, for that to happen in your own place that drafted you, you’ve got a lot of emotional connections here, and for him to have that moment is super special,” Herbig said. “I’m super happy for him.”
After Chase McLaughlin forced an extra period with a 53-yard field goal and Germie Bernard‘s six-yard touchdown grab punctuated a 12-play, 70-yard march, Ramsey dragged Daniels down for a game-ending sack, his second of the day.
“He was dialing it up, man,” Dean said of Patrick Graham‘s play calling. “We appreciate it. He was willing to listen to us, whatever call we felt like (made) sense at the time, he listened to. But this one, he dialed it up pretty good for the last drive of the game.”
Ramsey stressed after Friday’s practice that lifting Dean to a win at his former stomping ground was on his mind.
“We wanna make sure that we’re on our Ps and Qs for him,” Ramsey said. “It’s a big game, a big moment. I’ve been in games like that, where you play your former team, and it’s always nice to have your teammates have your back. … We’re just gonna keep building.”
Alan Saunders provided reporting from Tampa.
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