Primary Week 1 punt returner Darden will serve as the Buccaneers' primary punt returner in Thursday night's Week1 matchup against the Cowboys, Rick Stroud of the Tampa Bay Times reports. Impact The rookie's strong performances throughout preseason and his natural skills for the position were enough to secure him a roster spot, essentially at the expense of veteran Jaydon Mickens. Darden will now be trusted with an important role against Dallas despite the fact he never dealt with any of the most difficult return scenarios in preseason, such as having to make a decision on whether to field a punt inside the 20-yard line. "Wow, he's sudden," Buccaneers special-teams coach Keith Armstrong said. "The speed. But sudden and the lateral quickness. He can make the first, the second and maybe even the third man miss. He does a really good job. He catches the ball well. You would've loved to have seen him manage some situations."
SEPTEMBER 6, 2021 • ROTOWIRE
