Andre Roberts, Atlanta Falcons Agree to 1-Year Contract

The Atlanta Falcons and free-agent wide receiver Andre Roberts reached an agreement Tuesday on a one-year, $1.8 million contract.   

The Falcons confirmed the deal after Dan Graziano of ESPN.com first reported the news and noted the contract features $750,000 in guaranteed money. 

Roberts spent the 2016 campaign with the Detroit Lions. He made a larger impact on special teams than on offense, which is likely to remain the case in Atlanta.

The 29-year-old South Carolina native tallied 14 catches for 188 yards and a touchdown across 16 games in the Matthew Stafford-led attack. He added two touchdowns on just 20 punt returns and 747 yards on 33 kickoff returns.

Sam Monson of Pro Football Focus named Roberts as the "honorable mention" kick returner as part of the outlet's 2016 All-Pro Team.

Jeff Risdon of RealGM provided his take on the receiver's outlook:

His best offensive season came in 2012 with the Arizona Cardinals, who selected him out of The Citadel in the third round of the 2010 draft. He racked up 64 grabs for 759 yards and five touchdowns—all career highs—that year.

In all, the wideout has caught 243 passes for 2,899 yards and 14 touchdowns during his seven-year NFL career, which included a two-season stint with the Washington Redskins. All three of his special teams scores have occurred over the past two campaigns.

During training camp and the preseason, Roberts will likely end up battling Justin Hardy for a role as the reigning NFC champions' No. 4 wide receiver and returner. The Falcons' top three at WR is locked in with Julio Jones, Mohamed Sanu and Taylor Gabriel.

The veteran also provides Atlanta with a little extra insurance as Jones works his way back from offseason foot surgery. A source told NFL Network insider Ian Rapoport the superstar playmaker should be back to full strength for training camp.

So it's no guarantee Roberts will make the Falcons' final 53-man roster. He could land on the chopping block if Jones is healthy and Hardy outplays him during the exhibition slate.