Buccaneers waive wide receiver Jaelon Darden

In a surprising move, the Buccaneers announced on Tuesday that they have waived punt returner Jaelon Darden among other roster moves as well.

Darden, 23, was the Buccaneers’ fourth round pick in 2021. They traded up to grab him in the draft, so certainly a disappointment that he could not stick around. He was their primary punt returner and was actually the NFL leader in punts and punt return yards.

Darden has had an OK year returning punts, but he has not been consistent enough and has not made much of an impact at all at receiver, only having eight career catches for 69 yards and no touchdowns.

Tampa Bay will now have a new punt returner this Sunday when they travel to San Francisco to face off against the 49ers.