When wide receiver Andre Roberts signed with the Redskins as a free agent this offseason, it looked like a chance for him to move up a rung on the depth chart from the third receiver role he filled in Arizona in 2013.
And it was, for a little while anyway. Then DeSean Jackson got cut in Philly and landed in Washington, leaving Roberts to look to kick returns as a way to see more time on the field after reassessing the landscape at wideout. That reassessing also left him unsure that he would have landed in Washington if Jackson were there when the Redskins were pursuing Roberts.
“I think so, I think it would have played a role,” Roberts said on Sirius XM NFL Radio, via CSN Washington. “But at end of the day, we all know how the NFL works. And decisions are made that are out of your control. So when [Jackson] signed there, I just had a different outlook on it. I think I’ll still be able to help the team out a lot and be a playmaker for this team.
Roberts knows that he may see some advantageous matchups as a result of Jackson, Pierre Garçon and tight end Jordan Reed drawing attention at the other receiver spots, which should make the Redskins a better offensive team overall. That might not have been what Roberts had in mind when he signed in Washington, but it is certainly what the Redskins were looking for by bringing him to town.