The Steelers got a lift for Week 6 before they ever took the field.
Jamel Dean, who sat out Week 5 with an ankle injury, was back on the practice field in a limited capacity and then cleared as active ahead of kickoff against the Tampa Bay Buccaneers. That puts Pittsburgh’s top cornerback back in the lineup as the team chases its first road win of the season.
Dean’s return matters for more than just depth. He has been the leader of the cornerback group, the player sitting atop the depth chart, and his absence in Week 5 was noticeable. He brings a physical, competitive style that works in both zone and man coverage, which makes him a valuable piece for a defense trying to steady itself early in the 2026 season.
Through four games, Dean had already put together a productive stretch in Pittsburgh. He recorded 14 tackles, forced two fumbles, and broke up two passes. With him back, the burden eases on Asante Samuel Jr. and rookie Daylen Everette.
There’s another layer to Dean’s value, too. He knows the Buccaneers inside and out.
Drafted by Tampa Bay in the third round in 2019, he spent his entire career there before joining the Steelers, won a Super Bowl with the Bucs, and still has close ties to players and coaches in that building. The little tells, the tendencies and the acquired knowledge he gained during his tenure with the Buccaneers could be the big difference between the Steelers leaving Raymond James Stadium with a win or a loss.
Even so, Pittsburgh has reason to handle him carefully. Dean has been dealing with the ankle issue for a few weeks, and it’s not clear he’s back to full strength yet. The team can’t afford to push him too hard and risk turning a short-term absence into something longer.
That could affect how he’s used right away. The Steelers won’t want to cap his snaps too aggressively, but there may be stretches where Samuel and Everette are the two outside corners while Dean is eased in.
However they manage it, getting Dean back is a major win for a secondary that badly needed its veteran leader available again.
In Other News...
Aaron Rodgers Is Giving Steelers Fans A Real MVP Debate
Aaron Rodgers has given Steelers fans plenty to watch already, and now he has dragged himself into a familiar kind of conversation. The veteran quarterback, who has won the NFL MVP award four times and last took home the honor in 2021, is drawing fresh attention after a stretch that has reminded some observers of his best form. For a Pittsburgh team still measuring what Rodgers can mean in the bigger picture, any whisper of MVP talk is bound to travel fast.
Former defensive lineman Osi Umenyiora was among those willing to say the quiet part out loud, comparing Rodgers' current run to the kind of season that once carried him to the league's top individual prize. It is still just a prediction, of course, and plenty can change over a long season, but it speaks to how quickly Rodgers has shifted the conversation around the Steelers. When a quarterback with his rsum starts stacking up performances like this, the debate becomes less about nostalgia and more about whether he can keep it going long enough to make the idea real. [Read more 🡒]
Steelers Get Another Big Test As AFC North Pressure Builds
A week after beating the Indianapolis Colts, the Steelers are headed back into the kind of game that can quickly tell you where a season is going. Pittsburgh is 3-2 and now gets the Tampa Bay Buccaneers on Sunday at 1 p.m. ET, with the matchup airing on CBS and available through streaming, a timely checkpoint for a team trying to keep pace in a crowded AFC North.
The Buccaneers bring a different kind of pressure into the afternoon after picking up their first win of the season against the Dallas Cowboys, so this one has the feel of a measuring-stick game on both sides. Pittsburgh will be leaning on the same balance that has helped it stay afloat early, while Tampa Bay arrives with enough momentum to make this more than just another early October date on the calendar. [Read more 🡒]
Steelers Get Needed Backfield Help Before A Bigger Offensive Question
Rico Dowdle is on track to give the Steelers a much-needed boost in the backfield in Week 6 after being sidelined since the toe injury he suffered in Week 2. In a season where the offense has had to juggle injuries at multiple spots, getting another running back back into the mix should at least help stabilize one area as Pittsburgh tries to keep things moving.
Mike McCarthy also made it clear the depth chart at running back is not shifting just because Dowdle is available again, with Jaylen Warren still holding the featured role. That leaves the Steelers in an interesting spot as they deal with injury issues at wide receiver and tight end, a situation that could push even more of the offense onto the backs and force the group to do a little of everything. [Read more 🡒]