Old friend would solve Arizona Cardinals kick-return woes

It’s been quite some time since the Arizona Cardinals employed a viable kick-return specialist. The club’s front office has put very little effort into finding a speedster who’s capable of providing better than average field position for the offense. There’s a player scheduled to hit the free agent market, however, who could give the Cards special teams unit exactly what it’s been missing.

Andre Roberts, who happens to be an old friend of the organization, has a contract that will soon expire. The 33-year old was a third-round draft pick of the Cardinals back in 2010. Roberts spent four campaigns with the franchise before signing a free-agent deal with the Washington Football Team in March of 2014.

Since his departure, Roberts has established himself as one of the best kickoff and punt returners in the NFL. In week 11 of the 2015 season, the wide receiver returned a kickoff 99 yards against the Carolina Panthers. A year later, after joining the Detroit Lions, Roberts ran a punt back 85 yards for a score during an October matchup with the Chicago Bears.

After inking a deal with the New York Jets in 2018, Roberts returned a punt 78 yards for a touchdown during the season-opener against the Lions. In week 16, the 5’11,195 pounder returned a kickoff 99 yards for a score versus the Green Bay Packers. At the conclusion of the campaign, Roberts was rewarded for his sensational return efforts with his first invitation to the Pro Bowl.

In March of 2019, Roberts agreed to a two-year contract with the Buffalo Bills. Over the past couple of seasons (2019-20), the South Carolina native was voted to two more Pro Bowls as the AFC’s kick-return specialist.

Most of the contributions made by Roberts with the Cards came as a pass-catcher. In 62 appearances (35 starts) with the Redbirds, the former product of the Citadel hauled in 182 passes for 2,123 yards and 11 touchdowns. The career numbers amassed by Roberts as a wideout include 261 receptions, 3,044 yards and 15 trips into the end zone during 163 pro contests (41 starts).

Arizona’s return game at the present time is completely inept. Christian Kirk, who averaged a pathetic 6.0 yards per punt return in 2020, may be the worst at the job in the league. Chase Edmonds has been a bit more productive with the kickoff returns (23.17 average), but the Cardinals can do a lot better at that spot going forward as well.

Signing Roberts during free agency should be one of Steve Keim’s top offseason priorities. The general manager also has other holes to fill, but the kick-return game has been ignored for far too long. Bringing Roberts back to the team that drafted him would go a long way towards solving that dilemma.