Mickens could have an uphill battle to win a roster spot this summer, Greg Auman of The Athletic reports.
The 27-year-old set a new career high with seven receptions last season, but the overwhelming amount of his contributions came on special teams, where he amassed 439 total return yards and logged 125 snaps overall. Mickens had some offseason off-field trouble in March in the form of a gun charge, and he then got some talented, younger competition for his return job when Tampa Bay drafted Jaelon Darden in the fourth round in the spring. Mickens attended voluntary OTAs and even mentored Darden on the finer points of the return game, but the two will be locked into a head-to-head battle come training camp.