The Lions added another piece to the secondary on Thursday, reaching an agreement to sign former Jets CB Darryl Roberts as a free agent. Roberts, 29, started 20 games (of 29) over the last two seasons for the Jets after spending his first two years primarily on special teams and as the dime back.
New York released Roberts recently, and the Lions pounced on the versatile defensive back.
What are the Lions getting in Roberts?
I binged on a few of Roberts’ games from 2019 and two from 2018 to get caught up on the veteran. Paired with my pre-draft notes on him from his career at Marshall, here are my thoughts on the 2015 7th-round pick by the New England Patriots.
He’s an outside CB only
The Jets played Roberts almost exclusively at right outside CB early on in 2019, and it was his best role. He did get action at free safety later on, but Roberts doesn’t have the anticipation or quick diagnostic skills to play safety effectively.
I watched him perform in the slot, notably in the Jets’ Week 2 game against the Browns in 2019. He doesn’t have as much confidence in his technique on the inside; Roberts needs the sideline as an extra defender to limit where the WR can go. He’s much more aggressive and in phase outside.
Best attribute: Turn and run
Roberts has very good speed and he can accelerate with just about anyone he’s tasked with covering outside. It’s straight-line speed but it’s better than anyone the Lions have right now. He ran a 4.38 40-yard dash with an insane 1.48 10-yard split at Marshall’s pro day and it’s legit.
Worst trait: Awareness
Both the Browns and the Patriots (Week 3) picked on Roberts and his lack of anticipation. He’s got tunnel vision in coverage and it gets him into trouble. When he takes a peek back at the QB, he loses his track on his coverage responsibility.
Toast factor is high
Here’s an example from the Jets vs. Vikings in 2018 (it’s the first play on the clip) where he was close to being in a really good spot but still couldn’t make the play because of a lack of awareness.
That’s a great throw, to be fair to Roberts, but notice the space he concedes to Adam Theilen on the outside off the initial move. His inside help blitzed on the play, so he overcompensates just a bit to make sure he doesn’t get burned up the middle. Instead it takes him just far enough inside that Kirk Cousins can feather that ball in for the TD.
Willing tackler for his size
Roberts is slightly built at just 182 pounds on his 6-foot frame, but he’s not afraid to tackle. The form is generally good, too. He doesn’t have pop to his pads and lacks the strength to stop a runner with a head of steam coming at him.
Nevin Lawson flashback
The lack of bulk and strength is also an issue in press coverage. His jolt just doesn’t do much, and Roberts is quite grabby if he senses he’s losing the battle. While they’re quite different styles of athletes, in this regard Roberts will remind Lions fans of Nevin Lawson and his endemic holding when he either missed the jam or got crossed up.
Overall
Roberts is another option as an outside cornerback and his speed gives him a chance. He wasn’t bad as a starter for the Jets, especially in 2018, but he’s best-suited to be the No. 3 outside CB and a special teams fixture. That’s the spot he’s realistically competing for in Detroit in 2020.