The Bucs aren’t giving up on Jaelon Darden.

Last year’s fourth-round pick underwhelmed as rookie, but the Tampa Bay coaching staff still believes Darden’s best football is ahead of him.

Darden struggled to make the leap from North Texas to the NFL as a receiver. After showing off his 4.46 speed and quickness in OTAs and the mini-camps and dazzling during the first week of training camp, it was a different story once the pads came on.

Darden only caught seven passes for 72 yards (10 avg.) in the preseason and had just six receptions for 43 yards (7.0 avg.) in limited action in the regular season. He was targeted 12 times in the regular season and had one of those passes bounce off his hands and turn into a costly interception at Washington.

Darden’s Tough Transition To The NFL

Bucs PR-KR Jaelon Darden – Photo by: Cliff Welch/PR

Not only did Darden fail to earn playing time due to a lack of big plays in the preseason or the regular season, but the deck was stacked against him – literally. Tampa Bay’s depth chart was stocked with veteran receivers in Mike Evans, Chris Godwin, Antonio Brown, Tyler Johnson, Scotty Miller and Jaydon Mickens. Then, Breshad Perriman was added late in the season and Cyril Grayson Jr. emerged at the end of the year.

Bucs wide receivers coach Kevin Garver noted the depth chart as well as Darden’s struggle to grasp the offense early on.

“For him, it had a lot to do with depth,” Garver said. “I think getting the experience, on-field experience – everybody learns differently. Some guys can sit in the room, watch the film and then go on the field and execute it. And some guys can look at the picture and say, ‘Okay, this is what the route is. I can go do it.’ Some guys need to actually get those physical reps, and I think Jaelon probably fits in more to that category.”

The Bucs offense uses a lot of option/choice routes that force the receivers to change their routes depending on the coverage they face at the snap of the ball. Quarterbacks and receivers must be on the same page on option routes or the results are usually interceptions.

Darden Made In-Season Progress

Darden did a better job of understanding the concepts of the offense and how to read defenses as the year progressed.

Bucs WRs coach Kevin Garver and WR Jaelon Darden – Photo by: Cliff Welch/PR

“I think I saw a big turn for him about halfway through the season,” Garver said. “Just feeling more confident and comfortable. Getting more reps. We are a different offense than what he did at North Texas. Everything was at the line, and everything was no-huddle. We ask our guys to understand a little bit more and put a little bit more on their plate. That was a transition for him, having to learn to do that.

“But he got more comfortable as the season went on, as he got more reps and was more confident in what to do and how to do it. I was really impressed with that. I will say, coming back in this offseason program, he’s had that demeanor. It’s carried from last year into this year. The confidence, lining up and executing, I’ve seen that now.”

Darden’s Uphill Battle To Climb The Depth Chart

The Bucs didn’t draft a receiver this year, which may have been a vote of confidence in Darden’s ability. But Tampa Bay did sign four receivers after the draft, including Jerreth Sterns, Deven Thompkins, Kaylon Geiger Sr. and Kameron Brown, who was a try-out player. Sterns and Thompkins are both under 5-foot-8 and similarly built to Darden, who is 5-foot-8, 174 pounds.

“We’ll really see in training camp and when we have an opportunity to get into preseason games and see what that looks like – that transition is from meetings to the practice field to the game reps,” Garver said. “That will probably be more the telltale sign. I think he has a lot of upside to him. He’s a talented guy and he moves extremely well. He catches the ball extremely well. I’m looking forward to seeing what he can do.”

Darden Must Keep Return Specialist Role

With Evans, Godwin and Russell occupying the top three receiver spots on the depth chart, the battle for the final three receivers will be intense. Darden may have to earn a roster spot by hanging on to the return specialist duties.

Bucs KR-PR Jaelon Darden – Photo by: USA Today

The Bucs turned those over to Darden last year, cutting Mickens after five games. The results were lackluster. Darden averaged just 7.5 yards on 19 punt returns, with a long of 43. He fared worse on kick returns, averaging 19.9 yards on 18 attempts, with a long of 34.

He also drew the ire of Bucs fans for sliding and ducking on some returns. It seemed Darden was more concerned with not getting hit than gaining yardage at times.

“Like him as a returner,” Bucs special teams coordinator Keith Armstrong said. “I know he had the big punt return against Chicago – I think it was for 43 yards. I think we can get that to happen more often. We have to do a better job of blocking for him.

“I think we have to take another chance with Jaelon, take another look at him.”