What many wanted to see from Jaleon Darden as Bucs training camp went further along was progress. Last season, when the pads came on, Darden wasn’t as flashy. But in this year’s training camp, Darden has been showing up and standing out like many had hoped.

After a couple promising weeks of training camp, the next test was to excel against others in competition. He passed that one, showing up in a big way during last week’s joint practices with the Dolphins.

Then, it was taking everything that he’s worked on and translating it to the game. In last year’s preseason, Darden made seven receptions for 72 yards in three games. This year, he’s already accomplished something that he didn’t do at all previously.

That was scoring a touchdown.

“[It] was definitely a big moment for me, but I plan on doing that a lot more,” Darden said. “So, kind of just trying to keep my head straight and keep going forward.”

Receivers Continue To Elevate Their Game

Darden continued to play well in this week’s joint practices against the Tennessee Titans. For another week, the entire unit has put on a show by torching opposing defensive backs. It seems like every snap, another wide receiver is making plays that leave you in amazement.

While the competition is stiff for making this team at receiver, Darden is actually further motivated when he sees others around him make a play.

“It kind of turns me up because at the end of the day, we’re trying to help each other and make each other play better,” Darden said. “That’s kind of how our receiver room is – we’re a brotherhood. At the end of the day, if he [does] good, I’m happy for him, but I have to step my game up too because I want to be on the same level he’s on. So that’s kind of how we go about it.”

The Advice To Darden That’s Changed Thing For Him

The real reason for Darden’s success this month comes from a bit of an odd adjustment. Darden, who is up there as one of the fastest players on the roster, has actually been better when he plays…slower? That’s right. And it was advice from Julio Jones that’s helped him with it.

“He basically told me to slow everything down because the type of game I’m playing, I’m playing kind of fast, so sometimes I’m overthinking things at times,” Darden said. “But he’s telling me just slow down and go to my go-to moves and help myself get open and do what I do best. So that’s kind of what I’ve been taking in from Julio.”

Darden mentioned that by not overthinking, it’s allowed him to play the kind of game that he wants to play.

“I’m thinking way less, I’m playing a lot faster, I can actually say that,” Darden said. “You can definitely see it at practice because of how many reps I’m getting. If I catch myself thinking about the next play, then I’m not going to be focused on the play at that moment.

“I kind of try to train myself like that because it’s the same way in game situations. If I mess up one play, I got to worry about the next. I can’t focus on that one, that’s going to dictate my whole game, so I’m not really trying to do that. Basically, just taking that next step and moving on to the next play.”