Kenny Bell is eager to to prove himself in 2016 after spending his rookie season on injured reserve, Scott Smith of the Bucs' official site reports.

Bell is eager to to prove himself in 2016 after spending his rookie season on injured reserve, Scott Smith of the Bucs' official site reports.

Analysis:

A mid-August 2015 hamstring injury completely derailed the speedy Nebraska product's rookie campaign, but he refused to remain out of the loop. Bell continued attending meetings and was involved in as many day-to-day activities as possible. The sophomore wideout was even allowed to travel with the team for road games, allowing him to immerse himself as much as possible into then-offensive coordinator Dirk Koetter's system. That experience could pay off for the 24-year-old in the coming months, as he battles for a spot on the roster. "Going through camp and going through everything I was pretty familiar with the offense," said Bell. "So the playbook has never been too big of an issue. What I'm more focused on is the reps." With veteran receiver Louis Murphy likely out until training camp while he recovers from last year's ACL surgery, Bell will have an opportunity for additional reps at a minimum for the remainder of OTAs and the Bucs' mini-camps. Koetter has also mentioned Bell as a candidate for the Bucs' open kick-returner job, and the former Cornhusker also has gunner experience on punt returns from his four college seasons.