Detroit Lions: Is this Michael Roberts’ last chance in Motown?

The former Toledo Rocket is in his third year in the league, but with rookie TEs biting his heels, this may be Roberts’ last chance with the Detroit Lions.

May OTAs are not only a chance for rookies to prove themselves; it’s also a chance for young players to prove themselves, show how they’ve developed as football players, and ultimately earn a roster spot with the Detroit Lions.

One of those players fighting for a roster spot is third-year tight end Michael Roberts, who had a rather disappointing sophomore season in the NFL and was nowhere near the breakout tight end that some fans, including myself, predicted him to be.

This offseason may be the last chance to Roberts to prove that he belongs on this roster. The Lions have addressed the tight end position thoroughly this offseason, adding veteran Jesse James in free agency, drafting T.J . Hockenson in the first round, and drafting a seventh round tight end in Issac Nauta who many are saying may be the steal of the draft.

The Lions took a position that was rather barren and stocked the cupboards at the tight end position, leaving the former Toledo Rockets buried on the back of the roster and fighting for NFL survival.

Lions fans should know at this point that Roberts is not going to go down without a fight. After vigorous training last offseason, Roberts proved that he has the work ethic to make it in this league and has a competitive drive to get better year-by-year.

Even though he’s only caught 13 passes in his two seasons in the league, the coaches seem to love how Roberts looks this offseason, as new tight end coach Chris White had a lot of positive things to tell Jeff Risdon of Lionswire about the tight end in a press conference earlier this week.

"“[Robert’s] done a nice job this offseason. He’s quietly just grinding away. He’s working at learning the offense, working at being more of a complete football player in all aspects. I just like the way he’s approaching everything right now. We brought two guys in and we drafted a guy and he’s kind of just kept his mouth shut and he’s working, and that’s all he can do. He’s going to have every opportunity to prove himself and he’s a gifted athlete.”"

While most NFL teams only keep three tight ends in their final 53-man roster, Roberts has a puncher’s chance to either lock down one of those three spots, fighting Nauta for the third or forcing the Lions to keep four tight ends.

If Roberts wants to continue to be a viable NFL player, he has to completely commit himself to being a blocking tight end. New offensive coordinator Darrell Bevell used a lot of two tight end sets in his time with Seattle, so pairing Roberts with a talented pass catcher like Hockenson to both beef up the run game and provide more offense may be the most likely option.

Roberts is skating on thin ice at this point, as it’s very likely that he’s no longer a Lion at the end of this summer. But if he can commit to being a blocking tight end and continue to work hard on staying in shape, his time may not be done and he could have a few more touchdowns to score in Detroit.