A promising young piece of the Tampa Bay Buccaneers’ secondary went down in a scary scene Thursday afternoon, as rookie safety J.J. Roberts suffered a knee injury during joint practice with the Pittsburgh Steelers.
The injury occurred during team drills midway through practice. Roberts went to the ground awkwardly after attempting to plant and change direction in coverage. Trainers rushed to his side, and after several minutes of evaluation, the cart was brought out. Roberts was visibly in pain and did not put any weight on his leg as he was helped onto the cart. The Buccaneers confirmed after practice that the injury involved Roberts’ knee and that the rookie will undergo X-rays and an MRI to determine the severity.
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No official diagnosis or timeline has been provided yet, but the mood around the team was somber as Roberts was taken off the field.
Roberts, an undrafted rookie out of Marshall, had been turning heads in training camp with his energy, versatility, and physicality. While he was battling for a final roster spot or a practice squad role, his chances were gaining momentum, and he’d even received praise for his special teams work in Tampa Bay’s preseason opener. Injuries are an unfortunate part of training camp, but for a young player trying to carve out a role, the timing couldn’t be worse.
The Buccaneers will likely provide more clarity following test results, expected within the next 24–48 hours. For now, the team and fans can only wait and hope the injury isn’t season-ending. Tampa Bay faces the Steelers again Saturday night in Preseason Week 2, but Roberts’ status now becomes a bigger concern than the scoreboard.
This article originally appeared on Bucs Wire: UDFA J.J. Roberts suffers knee injury in joint practice with Steelers