Elijah Roberts had an impressive rookie season for the Tampa Bay Buccaneers, but he is looking to play with more speed and explosion in his second season.
Roberts, Tampa Bay‘s 157th pick in last year’s draft, played all 17 games, including nine starts. He stepped up in the absence of Calijah Kancey, who tore his pectoral muscle in Week 2 against the Houston Texans.
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The 6-foot-4 defensive end recorded 14 tackles (10 solo), two sacks, one fumble recovery and three passes defended. Despite his low sack total, Roberts generated 27 pressures.
Roberts is confident in his skills to win one-on-ones against opposing offensive linemen. However, overthinking hindered his ability to showcase those traits.
“I feel like I have a lot of twitch, I have a lot of speed to my game, and I wasn’t really able to show that,” Roberts told Matt Matera and Scott Reynolds in Monday’s “Pewter Report Podcast” episode. “When you think a lot, you are playing a little slower. Being able not to think as much, I feel like the game has slowed down a bit for me.”
New Buccaneers defensive lineman coach Marcus West has helped Roberts play more freely throughout OTAs. West noticed the lapse in the former SMU Mustang‘s performances and wants to bring out Roberts’ best qualities.
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“His thing for me has just been – he wants to see the things that got me here,” Roberts said. “Playing fast, not thinking as much. He said, he kind of hit it on the head when he talked to me the first time we met, ‘Man, I could tell that you love the game, but you were kind of in your own head last year.’
While Roberts was thrust into significant playing time due to Kancey’s injury, he will have to compete for the same reps with his teammate healthy. Tampa Bay’s defensive line room is deep and talented.
Roberts shares a group with Vita Vea, A’Shawn Robinson and Kancey. Vea and Kancey are returners, while Robinson is a new addition from the Carolina Panthers.
The former Mustang is aiming to reclaim his college glory days in the NFL. Roberts recorded 7.5 sacks in his final season at SMU, and while the pressure translated to the next level, the sacks haven’t so far.
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Roberts is growing under West, who has brought intense energy to OTAs. West is committed to helping every lineman under his supervision improve, and Roberts is a part of that group.
The 2026 season could be a breakout year for the fifth-rounder. He’s aiming to play faster and more explosively with less overthinking clouding his judgement and slowing him down.
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