Cincinnati Bengals: 15 greatest wide receivers of all-time
By John Buhler
(1994-01). Darnay Scott. 8. player. 56. . WR
- 386 career receptions w/Bengals
- 5,975 career receiving yards w/Bengals
- 36 career receiving touchdowns w/Bengals
- Career 54.8 receiving yards per game w/Bengals
Darnay Scott formed a dynamic receiving tandem with Carl Pickens in the heart of the 1990s for the Bengals. We’ll get to Pickens soon enough, but Scott was a great player for the Bengals in his own right. He first came to Cincinnati as a second-round pick out of San Diego State in the 1994 NFL Draft.
As a rookie, Scott was the best first-year receiver in the NFL. He had 46 catches for 866 yards and five touchdowns. Over the next four seasons (1995-98), the Bengals could count on Scott to have around 50 catches for over 800 yards and five touchdowns as Cincinnati’s No. 2 receiver opposite of the Pro Bowler in Pickens.
1999 ended up being Scott’s best season as a professional. He had 68 catches for 1,022 yards and seven touchdown receptions. Those would all prove to be career bests for Scott. 1999 was also the last season Scott played opposite of Pickens, who would be released by the club during the 2000 NFL offseason.
The idea was that Scott would assume the No. 1 wide receiver role with No. 4 overall pick in the 2000 NFL Draft in Peter Warrick as his No. 2. Scott would unfortunately suffer a broken leg in the preseason, an injury that looked to be career-threatening. He ended up missing the entire 2000 NFL campaign from that fractured tibia and fibula.
Scott would bounce back to have one last excellent season with the Bengals in 2001. He finished with 57 catches for 819 yards and two touchdown grabs that fall. Scott would leave the Bengals in 2002 NFL free agency to sign with the Jacksonville Jaguars.
Though he never played in a regular season game for the Jaguars, Scott did spend his final NFL season as a member of the 2002 Dallas Cowboys. Scott ended up with 386 career receptions for 5,975 receiving yards and 36 touchdown grabs in Bengals uniform. His 54.8 career receiving yards per game is impressive. One could argue that Scott is the best Bengals receiver of all-time to have never garnered a Pro Bowl nod.