By Jordan Long
The Green Bay Packers are 5-1. They look to improve to 6-1 when they face the Minnesota Vikings on Sunday. Green Bay was looking for a veteran wide receiver. Rumors indicated they were going to trade for one, but they signed Seth Roberts for the rest of the year.
Roberts started this season in Carolina. He agreed to a 1-year $3.75 million contract in the offseason. There was chatter Roberts may be traded before the regular season. Carolina decided to keep him to give him a chance.
It didn’t work out. In 7 games for the Panthers Roberts caught 4 passes for 31 yards. His average yards per catch is 7.8 yards. He didn’t see the field much in the past 3 games. According to msn.com, Roberts appeared in 44 plays in those games. Roberts didn’t even have a pass come his way.
Carolina decided it wasn’t working out and cut him. This allowed Roberts to be a free agent. He wasn’t out of a job long as Green Bay picked him up.
The Packers were rumored to be in the market for a veteran wide receiver. The NFL trade deadline is next Tuesday. They chose to pick up Roberts, but he will be placed on the practice squad for now. He has a chance to make the active roster. Once Roberts learns the playbook, it could be another weapon for quarterback Aaron Rodgers.
In his 6 year NFL career, Roberts has proven he can catch the football and gain yards. He is not a top wide receiver and won’t be the 1st or 2nd wide receiver on the depth chart but can be a 3rd or 4th option or play the slot. Roberts caught 183 passes for 2,128 yards and 15 touchdowns in his career to this point. His average yards per catch is 11.6 yards. The best part of his game is he protects the football with just 2 fumbles in his career.
The Packers look set at the wide receiver position with the signing of Roberts. They still may make a move before the trade deadline. If that is the case, it shouldn’t be on offense. The Green Bay front office will do what they feel is best to help this team advance deep into the playoffs.
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