Based off Sunday, when Michael Roberts became more of a receiving option in the Lions' passing game than any other tight end this season, there is something to work with.
Coming out of Toledo, the potential always existed. He was a 6-foot-4 reliable red zone target with a knack for the end zone – 16 touchdowns on 45 receptions his final year with the Rockets – but as a rookie he did little. He often played behind the since-departed Eric Ebron and Darren Fells, so the opportunity didn’t exist.
Roberts caught two TDs in the game. The story said Roberts' bright future was a big part of why the Lions cut Ebron. The story added Roberts is agile, relatively fast and he has the body and hands to become a potential difference-maker.