Bucs head coach Bruce Arians was not pleased with the passing downs play of second-year running back Ke’Shawn Vaughn during Sunday’s 9-0 loss to the Saints. Jones filled in as the emergency third down back after Leonard Fournette suffered a hamstring injury early in the third quarter. The Bucs were already down a pass-catching running back, as Giovani Bernard was placed on injured reserve last week with a hip injury.

Vaughn is better than Ronald Jones II in pass protection, which is why he saw more action in the fourth quarter. But Vaughn struggled as a receiver. He dropped one pass attempt and then fell down on a route on his second attempt, as Pewter Report’s Jon Ledyard documented in his latest Bucs Briefing column.

On Bucs Total Access this week, Arians indicated that Vaughn, who has five career catches for 34 yards (6.8 avg.) and one touchdown, will need to step up.

“Ke’Shawn can run the ball,” Arians said. “I wish he trusted his hands a little bit more. He stumbled on one (target), dropped one. Those are plays he can make. He can make big plays for us. And he’s gonna have to down the stretch.”

Vaughn has had 12 pass targets in limited action with the Bucs over the past two seasons. He’s dropped five of those passes and fumbled after the catch on another one.

Competition For Vaughn

The injuries to Fournette and Bernard prompted the Bucs to sign Le’Veon Bell on Wednesday. Bell, an eight-year veteran, has 395 career catches for 3,258 yards (8.2 avg.) and eight touchdowns. He has also rushed for 6,536 yards and 42 touchdowns in his career. Bell most recently played five games for the Ravens earlier this season.

Bucs RB Le’Veon Bell and RBs coach Todd McNair – Photo by: Cliff Welch/PR

Most of the former All-Pro’s production came in Pittsburgh from 2013-2017 where he averaged 62 catches per season and had three 1,000-yard rushing seasons with the Steelers. Bell, a three-time Pro Bowler, had an 83-catch season in 2014 and an 85-catch season in 2017.

“He’s been a good receiver in the past and played in this offense in Pittsburgh for a while,” Arians said on Wednesday. “So we’ll see what he can learn and what he can give us in the next few weeks.”

Arians suggested that Bell could see some action this Sunday in Carolina.

The 29-year old Bell was embroiled in a contract holdout situation in 2018, skipping the season. He then flamed out with the Jets after just 17 games from 2019-20. Bell finished out the 2020 season playing nine games with the Chiefs . In Kansas City, Bell caught 13 passes for 99 yards and rushed for 254 yards and two touchdowns on 63 carries.

In five games with the Ravens, Bell rushed for 83 yards and two touchdowns on 31 carries (2.7 avg.). He also had just one catch for minus-1 yard.

“I think so,” Bell said. “Just making sure Tom is protected and he’s comfortable with that and confident that I can protect him. And obviously confident catching the ball and making sure I am in the right spots for my check downs. The more I learn and am in the right spots, the more confident he can be giving me the rock.