Michael Roberts

Miami Dolphins
Tight End #80
Miami Dolphins
Tight End #80

Michael Roberts News

Dropped by Miami

Roberts (shoulder) has been waived by the Dolphins with an injury designation.

Analysis: Roberts spent the entire 2019 season on the sideline after recovering from reconstructive shoulder surgery. He later signed with the Dolphins in the offseason, but apparently his health is still not up to par. As a result, he will likely need to fully recover before getting a new opportunity.

Jul 27, 2020 4:42 PM EST


Lands in Miami

Roberts (shoulder) signed a contract with the Dolphins on Wednesday, Mike Garafolo of NFL Network reports.

Analysis: Roberts appears back to full health after having undergone shoulder surgery last August, and he'll now get a chance to compete for a role in Miami. The 25-year-old flashed at times during his first two seasons with Detroit, scoring three times in 2018 despite hauling in just eight catches, but a lack of consistency led to his ultimately being waived by the team following a failed trade to New England.

Feb 19, 2020 11:59 AM EST



Recovering from surgery

Roberts is recovering from reconstructive shoulder surgery, Erik of The Lions Wire reports.

Analysis: Roberts failed multiple physicals this offseason, which ultimately resulted in him undergoing surgery to resolve the issue. The 25-year-old spent his first two seasons in Detroit before getting waived following a failed trade to the Patriots. He was then claimed and again waived by the Packers following another failed physical. He is now focusing on his recovery from surgery before looking for another opportunity.

Aug 20, 2019 5:32 PM EST


Waived again

Roberts was waived by the Packers due to a failed physical, Field Yates of ESPN reports.

Analysis: This marks the second time in a week that Roberts has failed a physical. It's not clear what concern teams are having with the tight end, but we'd guess it has something to do with the shoulder injury that landed Roberts on injured reserve last December. While Roberts should again command some interest on the open market when healthy, it could be some time before that happens.

Jun 19, 2019 1:28 PM EST


Claimed by Green Bay

The Packers claimed Roberts off waivers Monday, Chris Burke of The Athletic reports.

Analysis: The Lions tried trading Roberts to the Patriots last week for a conditional seventh-round draft pick, but the transaction fell through due to unspecified reasons and the Lions ultimately waived the tight end before the weekend. Now with the Packers, Roberts finds himself within another crowded depth chart topped by Jimmy Graham, Marcedes Lewis and third-round rookie Jace Sternberger. Roberts will likely need to string together an impressive training camp and preseason in order to crack the 53-man roster ahead of Week 1. In 23 games for Detroit over the past two seasons, Roberts caught 13 of 27 targets for 146 yards and three touchdowns.

Jun 17, 2019 2:25 PM EST



Waived instead of traded

Roberts reverted back to the Lions and was waived after an unsuccessful attempted trade to the Patriots, Tim Twentyman of the Lions' official site reports.

Analysis: The trade for a 2020 seventh-round pick fell through, perhaps due to a failed physical with New England. Whatever the case, Roberts can now be claimed by any team, with the Patriots at the end of the line for waiver priority. The 2017 fourth-round pick will become an unrestricted free agent if no team places a claim.

Jun 14, 2019 1:08 PM EST


Traded to Patriots

The Lions are trading Roberts to the Patriots for a future late-round draft pick, Justin Rogers of The Detroit News reports.

Analysis: Roberts caught 16 touchdown passes his senior year at Toledo and then was selected by Detroit in the fourth round of the 2017 draft. He has played 379 offensive snaps in 23 NFL games, catching 13 of 27 targets for 146 yards and three touchdowns. After finishing last season on injured reserve with a shoulder issue, the 25-year-old tight end found himself on the roster bubble once the Lions signed Jesse James and drafted T.J. Hockenson. Roberts will have a better shot to stick on the 53-man roster in New England, where Ben Watson is suspended the first four weeks of the season and Matt LaCosse is the only other tight end with a significant contract.

Jun 13, 2019 6:24 AM EST


Fighting for roster spot

Roberts appears to be on the roster bubble in advance of the 2019 season, Dave Birkett of the Detroit Free Press reports.

Analysis: While Roberts has flashed potential since being drafted in the fourth round in 2017, the Toledo product still hasn't been much of an offensive factor overall. In fact, he likely would've had to compete for a roster spot in 2019 whether Detroit spent its first-round pick on a tight end or not. Now with No. 7 overall pick T.J. Hockenson added to a position group that already included expensive offseason signing Jesse James, there figure to be only one or two roster spots left that the Lions can dedicate to tight end. Roberts' primary competition for those slots will likely be rookie Isaac Nauta out of Georgia and QB-turned-TE Logan Thomas.

Jun 5, 2019 7:52 AM EST


Quiet outside of red zone

Roberts (shoulder) finished the 2018 season with nine catches for 100 yards and three touchdowns on 20 targets across eight games.

Analysis: The 2017 fourth-round pick ranked third on the Lions with seven rod-zone targets, converting three of those into scores. He otherwise had little impact, with knee and shoulder injuries costing him eight games and eventually landing him on injured reserve after Week 14. Fellow tight ends Levine Toilolo and Luke Willson (concussion) are both scheduled to become unrestricted free agents in the offseason, but there's no guarantee the situation helps Roberts, who looks like a questionable fit under run-first offensive coordinator Darrell Bevell. It's even possible Roberts will enter training camp on the roster bubble.

Jan 30, 2019 6:48 AM EST


Shuttered for season

The Lions placed Roberts (shoulder) on injured reserve Tuesday.

Analysis: It hadn't been revealed that Roberts got hurt in Sunday's 17-3 win over the Cardinals, but the lingering shoulder issue might have explained why he played only nine snaps, his fewest since Week 2. Before suiting up Sunday, Roberts' shoulder injury had prevented him from playing in two of the Lions' last three games. He'll now get an early start on the offseason and will aim to get his health in order ahead of the 2019 campaign, during which he could take on a more prominent role in Detroit's passing attack.

Dec 11, 2018 1:25 PM EST


No catches in desert

Roberts was targeted twice but did not record a reception during Sunday's 17-3 victory over Arizona.

Analysis: Both Roberts and Luke Willson took a backseat to Levine Toilolo, who logged 80 percent of the offensive snaps and was the only tight end on the team to catch a pass. Roberts has now logged just five receptions for 37 yards over his last five games since busting out against Miami for 48 yards and two scores in Week 7.

Dec 10, 2018 8:25 AM EST


Available Sunday

Roberts (shoulder) is listed as active Sunday at Arizona, Kyle Meinke of MLive.com reports.

Analysis: Since injuring his shoulder Week 10, Roberts has missed two of three games. In his sole appearance Week 12 against the Bears, he split tight end reps with Levine Toilolo and Luke Willson, catching three of his six targets for 16 yards. With the trio healthy, it'll be difficult for one of them to emerge from the pack.

Dec 9, 2018 12:07 PM EST


Questionable for Week 14

Roberts (shoulder) is listed as questionable for Sunday's game against the Cardinals.

Analysis: Roberts sandwiched limited practices Wednesday and Friday around a full session Thursday, with his involvement throughout the week likely pointing to him suiting up Sunday. Though Luke Willson sits atop the depth chart at tight end, Roberts has been active in the passing game as a reserve, drawing 17 targets over his last five appearances.

Dec 7, 2018 1:36 PM EST


Practices in full

Roberts (shoulder) was a full participant in Wednesday's practice.

Analysis: Roberts sat out last week's loss to the Rams due to a lingering shoulder injury, but appears to be nearing a return to full health. The second-year pro appears on track to retake the field against the Cardinals on Sunday.

Dec 5, 2018 1:27 PM EST


Ruled out for Week 13

Roberts (shoulder) is inactive for Sunday's game against the Rams.

Analysis: Roberts' absence for the second time in three games leaves Levine Toilolo as the sole backup to starting tight end Luke Willson. Considering Roberts was a limited practice participant from Wednesday through Friday, he should have a decent shot at making it back for the Lions' Week 14 contest in Arizona.

Dec 2, 2018 9:15 AM EST


Listed as doubtful

Roberts (shoulder) is listed as doubtful for Sunday's game against the Rams.

Analysis: Roberts was a limited participant in practice throughout the week, and is evidently on track to sit out Sunday's tilt against the Rams. The second-year tight end continues to nurse a shoulder injury suffered during a Week 10 loss to the Bears. If Roberts misses any time, Luke Willson may benefit from an increase in targets.

Nov 30, 2018 1:59 PM EST


Nursing shoulder injury

Roberts was limited in Wednesday's practice due to a shoulder injury.

Analysis: Roberts appears to have sustained a shoulder injury during a Thanksgiving Day loss to the Bears. It's encouraging that the second-year tight end was able to at least practice in a limited fashion to begin the week, but his status for Sunday's tilt against the Rams remains murky at best. Roberts has led Detroit's tight ends in terms of targets for five straight games, but hasn't done much with his opportunities since a two-touchdown performance in Week 7.

Nov 28, 2018 2:20 PM EST


Sees career-high six targets

Roberts caught three of six targets for 16 yards during Sunday's 23-16 loss to the Bears.

Analysis: The positive to take away from this performance is that Roberts finished fourth on the team in targets and is now averaging over three looks per game over his last five appearances. The negative is that Roberts appeared to make a critical error in the closing minutes of the game by running a poor route in the end zone that led to the Bears' game-clinching interception. It'll be interesting to see if quarterback Matthew Stafford gives the second-year tight end a similar amount of attention when Detroit reconvenes for a Week 13 game against the Rams.

Nov 23, 2018 9:57 AM EST


Available Week 12

Roberts (shoulder) is active for Thursday's game against the Bears, Tim Twentyman of the Lions' official site reports.

Analysis: Returning from a one-game absence due to a shoulder injury, Roberts will have to vie with veterans Luke Willson and Levine Toilolo for snaps at tight end. That said, the Lions are without a pair of key skill-position players in Kerryon Johnson and Marvin Jones with a pair of knee injuries, meaning Roberts will have less competition for reps the near the goal line. While Roberts has been targeted just 12 times in six appearances this season, five of those looks have occurred in the red zone.

Nov 22, 2018 8:05 AM EST


Questionable to return for Thanksgiving

Roberts (shoulder) is listed as questionable for Sunday's game against the Bears, Tim Twentyman of the Lions' official site reports.

Analysis: Listed as a limited participant each day this week, Roberts seemingly has a shot to rejoin the lineup after sitting out Sunday's 20-19 win over the Panthers. He's only seen 12 targets in six games this season, but there's potential for increased involvement with wide receiver Marvin Jones (knee) and running back Kerryon Johnson (knee) both unavailable, as the Lions may need to get creative to move the ball against a tough Chicago defense.

Nov 21, 2018 11:35 AM EST


News powered by