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The Buffalo Bills have had a special weapon this season that not many other NFL teams have had.
It’s allowed them to start offensive drives further up the field and steal momentum in games, either coming out of halftime or to start from the first drive.
Kick and punt returner Andre Roberts has been that guy for the Bills this season. Through 11 games, Roberts only trails Chicago’s Cordarrelle Patterson in kickoff return yards and has the third most punt return yards (217) in the NFL.
On 24 kick returns, Roberts has recorded 692 return yards and has averaged 28.8 yards a return, which is second-best in the NFL for returners who have 20 returns or more. On Sunday, against the Los Angeles Chargers, Roberts logged his second-highest kickoff return total of the years as he logged 111 yards on four returns.
Against the Seattle Seahawks in Week 9, Roberts started off the contest with a bang by returning the opening kickoff 60 yards for his longest return of the season so far.
After another big day on Sunday, Bills offensive coordinator Brian Daboll spoke of the importance of having a guy like Roberts in the back every single game.
“He adds a lot, it’s field position,” Daboll said during Monday’s press conference. “That’s a couple less first downs that you have to try to pick up or yards you have to get to get into the scoring zone. So he’s been a valuable piece to our football team whether that’s as a special teams player, or a receiver that knows all the spots, or as a leader.”
Roberts also tallied 138 kickoff return yards against the Tennessee Titans on six attempts. He averaged 23 yards per return.
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One of the Top Return Men in the Game
Since joining the league in 2010, Roberts has been emerged as one of the top return men in the game.
He’s tallied over 5,437 kickoff return yards in 10 seasons and he’s returned two kickoffs for touchdowns. He’s averaged just over 25 yards per return and has recorded two 99-yard returns, both for touchdowns.
In 2018, Roberts earned his first pro bowl and first-team All-Pro honors after he led the NFL in kickoff return yards (1,174) and kickoff returns (40). He also led the NFL punt return average.
He’s been in Buffalo for two years and has recorded 1,356 kickoff return yards and has averaged 27.7 yards per return.
Andre Roberts is a Veteran Journeyman
During his 10 years in the NFL, Roberts has played for six different teams and his longest stint was in Arizona where he acted as both a receiver and a return man which he has done for most of his career. In 2013, his second to last season in Arizona, he recorded a career-high 759 receiving yards and five touchdowns. He didn’t return any kicks that season and only returned three punts.
After his final year in Arizona, where he didn’t return any punts or kickoffs, Roberts made a transition from wide receiver to return man. His receiving numbers started to dwindle after moving from Arizona to Washington and then he also made stops in Detroit, Atlanta and New York before stopping in Buffalo.
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