Few injuries hit as hard as ones where we can see the player on the verge of doing something incredible. File the season-ending injury suffered by Tampa Bay Buccaneers rookie safety J.J. Roberts under that category.
“For the second time this training camp, the Bucs have lost a promising rookie defensive player to a season-ending knee injury,” Pewter Report’s Scott Reynolds wrote on August 16. “Tampa Bay defensive back J.J. Roberts suffered a significant knee injury on special teams in the Bucs’ joint practice session on Thursday in Pittsburgh.”
Roberts hurt himself during a joint practice with the Pittsburgh Steelers after he had seemingly played his way into a spot on Tampa Bay’s 53-man roster with a bravura training camp after not being picked in the 2025 NFL draft.
Rookie edge rusher David Walker also suffered a season-ending knee injury during training camp when he tore his ACL on July 27.
Closed Career Strong in Sun Belt Conference
Roberts, 5-foot-10 and 181 pounds, spent his first 3 college seasons at Wake Forest before transferring to Marshall for his last 2 seasons.
In 2023, he had 74 tackles despite missing 3 games due to injuries. Roberts followed that with a breakout season in 2024 in which he was second on the team with 94 tackles and led the nation with 14 pass breakups.
Roberts earned All-Sun Belt Conference honors and despite not being invited to the NFL scouting combine got on NFL teams radars after testing great at Marshall’s Pro Day, where he ran the 40-yard dash in 4.44 seconds to go with a staggering 40.5 inch vertical leap, 10-foot-6 broad jump and 20 reps in the 225 pound bench press.
NFL draft analyst Lance Zierlein had Roberts projected as a seventh round pick or priority free agent in his pre-draft analysis.
“Roberts was above average in speed, quickness and explosion testing, and that will flash on tape,” Zierlein wrote. “He’s physical by nature but inconsistent with his angles in pursuit … While he has the means to get to the football as a high safety, his lack of ball skills prevent him from flipping the field as often as he should.”
Could Open Door For Shilo Sanders to Make Team
While Roberts is now out until 2026, it doesn’t mean an undrafted free agent rookie won’t be on the team at safety in 2025 — losing Roberts possibly opens the door for fellow UDFA safety Shilo Sanders to make the team.
The Buccaneers already have their 2 starting safeties locked and loaded with NFL All-Pro Antoine Winfield and converted cornerback Tykee Smith, but after that duo the depth is a little more muddled.
Sanders started his college career at South Carolina then followed his father, head coach and Pro Football Hall of Famer Deion Sanders to stops at Jackson State for 2 seasons followed by 2 seasons at Colorado.
Sanders is currently listed fourth on the depth chart at free safety.
“In 2024, Sanders racked up 44 tackles, one sack, two pass deflections, one fumble forced, and one touchdown on defense,” Heavy.com’s Owen Crisafuli wrote on August 8. “There are certainly holes in his game, but Sanders can hold his own against the run and the pass, and he has the propensity to make a big play when his team needs him the most, which is always a trait NFL teams are looking for.”
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