4 Panthers under threat by Eli Apple and Keith Kirkwood’s return
By Dean Jones
Seth Roberts – Carolina Panthers WR
The arrival of Keith Kirkwood onto the 53-man roster in the not-too-distant future potentially spells bad news for Seth Roberts. He has been used sparingly by the Carolina Panthers over the first few weeks of the season and his chances of getting increased targets get even bleaker with another receiver coming into the rotation.
Roberts arrived in Carolina on a one-year, $3.75 million deal during free agency that included a $600,000 signing bonus and a further $600,000 guaranteed. His solid display during training camp left plenty of reasons to be encouraged regarding his ability to immediately contribute. But the former Baltimore Raven is sure to be disappointed by his lack of involvement over three weeks.
The speedy wideout has just five targets to his name in 2020. This has resulted in three receptions for 21 yards, but Roberts has been on the field for just 22 percent of the Panthers’ offensive snaps so far.
He did earn a season-high 33 percent of team snaps in their memorable win at the Chargers on Sunday. Roberts will be hoping this is a trend that can continue in the coming weeks but having someone who knows the scheme enough to become part of the rotation immediately in Kirkwood could be classed as concerning, to put it mildly.