Dexter Jackson may still have a future in the NFL, but it doesn't appear to be with the Tampa Bay Buccaneers.
Tampa Bay reached the 75-man roster limit early Monday by releasing the return man/wide receiver.
The release brings an abrupt - though not necessarily surprising - end to one of the more controversial stories in Bucs history.
Jackson was drafted last year in the second round by the Bucs, ostensibly to be their return man on kicks and punts.
Almost from the beginning, however, Jackson appeared scared on the field, often cowering in the face of oncoming tacklers.
His play in the return game eventually led to his benching and the emergence of Clifton Smith, who wound up earning a spot in the Pro Bowl as a return man.
Jackson returned to work this season with a new approach and was one of the Bucs' early training camp darlings. But he was plagued by injuries during camp and appeared to be no factor as rookie head coach Raheem Morris waited for a young receiver to emerge from the pack.
With Smith and rookie Sammie Stroughter capable of returning kicks and punts and Stroughter, Maurice Stovall and Brian Clark excelling at receiver, the Bucs deemed Jackson expendable.
Jackson rarely flashed the 4.27 speed that made him an intriguing prospect coming out of Appalachian State. He never caught a pass as a rookie and averaged a mere 4.9 yards on 20 punt returns and returned 14 kickoffs for an average distance of 23.4 yards.
In a conference call to announce his addition to the "Monday Night Football'' broadcast team this summer, former Bucs coach Jon Gruden acknowledged that making Jackson the 58th player selected in the draft was probably a reach.
