Lions: Three free agents from the New England Patriots to sign
By Bob Heyrman
OLB-Elandon Roberts, 25 years old
As you can see, this focuses primarily on the defensive side of the ball. Detroit’s offense with Matthew Stafford at the helm is very efficient. Bob Quinn needs to focus on fixing this sinking ship of a defense.
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Elandon Roberts isn’t nearly as effective as either Jamie Collins or Kyle Van Noy. I still consider Roberts as an upgrade over Christian Jones. Roberts excelled as a pass-rushing linebacker but drastically struggled to stop the run.
Roberts fits the Lions defensive scheme and played very well during his first two seasons in the league with Matt Patricia calling the Pats defense. Throughout his four-year career, Roberts has been a capable tackling linebacker, but he’s graded out better as a pass-rusher in each of his four seasons.
Roberts wouldn’t be a player that would break the bank, but he’s a guy Matt Patricia can trust. In New England, last season Roberts played sparingly only appearing in 202 total snaps. In Detroit, he’d certainly play a more significant role within the defense. 202 staps is by far the lowest of his career. Perhaps Roberts may have a desire to look for work elsewhere.
In 2019, Roberts made 27 total tackles, 20 of which came in solo fashion. He only made one sack and failed to force a fumble. From a production standpoint, it was his worst season to date.
light. Trending. Chris Jones is a player to pursue this offseason
Brining Roberts in would be a cheap depth move and allow the Detroit Lions to draft other positions rather than wasting a late-round pick on a linebacker who may never see the field.