The New England Patriots appeared to make a roster move earlier this week that would bring them some much-needed tight end depth, but the trade has been nixed.
The Detroit Lions announced on Friday that they are waiving tight end Michael Roberts after he was reverted back to their roster. The Lions and Patriots had agreed to a trade for Roberts on Thursday.
Lions announced today that TE Michael Roberts reverted back to the team’s roster, per trade conditions. Subsequently, the Lions announced that they have waived Roberts.
— Adam Schefter (@AdamSchefter) June 14, 2019
That likely means Roberts failed his physical, so it’s unclear what the future holds for him.
Roberts, a fourth-round pick in 2017, caught just nine passes for 100 yards last year, but three of them were touchdowns. While he was not expected to replace Rob Gronkowski’s production, he’s 6-foot-5 and could have provided the Patriots with a big body in the red zone. They will need to keep looking if they want to bolster the tight end position before the start of the season.
