Report: Falcons interested in veteran wide receiver Andre Roberts

In terms of starters, the Falcons are more or less set on offense, minus perhaps a guard. That’s definitely true at receiver, where the Falcons have Julio Jones, Mohamed Sanu, Taylor Gabriel, and Justin Hardy available to wreak havoc on opposing defenses. That doesn’t mean they won’t be in the market for another option, especially after they carried six receivers in 2016.

Enter Andre Roberts, I guess?

The sure-handed veteran receiver had a nice run with the Arizona Cardinals early in his career, with nearly 180 catches for over 2,000 yards during his first four years in the league. From there, he’s bounced between the Washington Redskins and the Detroit Lions, never putting up more than 36 catches in a season. He has 25 in the last two years combined.

As a veteran option, Roberts makes some sense because he is a reliable, savvy route runner, and the Falcons won’t need much more than that from their fifth option in the passing game. Trading a certified deep threat in Aldrick Robinson for Roberts would be a little bit of a shift, however, and Devin Fuller certainly isn’t going to be the guy to step into that role, at least not this coming season. I’d prefer Robinson, who was a big asset at times, but we’re talking about fifth receivers and I guess I can’t quibble that much.

If Roberts is a target, I wouldn’t expect him to sign right away, not with other potential visits in the offing and the Falcons likely to exercise patience with signings.