Green Bay Packers Sign Experienced Slot WR Seth Roberts

On Monday night, we learned that the Green Bay Packers had signed recently released wide receiver Seth Roberts to the practice squad.

The NFL’s November 3rd trade deadline is quickly approaching, and many Green Bay Packers’ fans are crossing their fingers, hoping that GM Brian Gutekunst makes a deal. Particularly at the wide receiver position, just as they have since the 2020 offseason began.

Well, Gutey didn’t make a trade, but it was reported on Monday night by Rob Demovsky of ESPN that the Packers had signed receiver Seth Roberts to the practice squad, who had just been released by the Carolina Panthers earlier in the day.

A former undrafted rookie back in 2014 out of West Alabama, Roberts is an experienced receiver, and his signing could very well be in place of a trade. Roberts’ best years came in Oakland from 2015 to 2018, where he totaled 158 receptions for 1,826 yards, with 13 touchdowns and a catch rate of 60.5 percent. His most productive individual season was in 2018, with 494 receiving yards and two touchdowns.

In 2019, Roberts signed with Baltimore, where he would appear in all 16 games, playing in nearly 50 percent of the Ravens’ offensive snaps. When it was all said and done, he totaled 271 yards on 21 catches with two touchdowns.

This season, Roberts would sign a one-year $3.75 million deal with Carolina, however, other than 2014, when he didn’t see the field, this has easily been the most unproductive season of his career. Roberts has only 93 total snaps this season, with 31 yards on only four targets, and he hasn’t even been targeted since Week 4, despite appearing in every game since then.

With Robby Anderson, D.J. Moore, and Curtis Samuel in Carolina, Roberts was never going to be the focal point by any means, but his small role is head-scratching. Whether it be his fit in Matt Rhule’s offense or Roberts is just in need of a fresh start, he will have that opportunity here in Green Bay.

Although, as Demovsky reported, he will start out on the practice squad, Roberts has primarily been a target out of the slot over his career, and the Green Bay Packers don’t have a true slot receiver on this roster. Now, having said that, in the Matt LaFleur offense that isn’t a need, as Davante Adams, Tyler Ervin, Allen Lazard, and Equanimeous St. Brown could all fill that role, but Roberts does add an element to this offense that they didn’t previously have.

For the time being, Roberts will be on the practice squad learning and adapting to his new offense. But you have to think that with his experience and skill-set, it is only a matter of time before he gets his chance to make an impact on the 53-man roster.