Roberts Upbeat in Recovery Mode

Miami Dolphins linebacker Elandon Roberts says his recovery is going well, but questions remain as to when he'll be back at full strength

The Miami Dolphins signed linebacker Elandon Roberts as an unrestricted free agent each of the past two offseasons, but the circumstances were much different this time around.

But there are questions again, just like last year, though those questions have changed in nature.

The question last year centered around his role and how he would fit into a new-look Dolphins defense. The question this time is whether he'll be able to contribute right away after sustained what looked like a significant knee injury in the thrilling Week 16 victory at Las Vegas last December.

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Roberts acknowledged undergoing surgery after the injury, but offered little beyond that in terms of his progress.

Asked Monday about his recovery, he said: "It's been cool. Just taking it one day at a time."

More to the point, I asked Roberts how he would describe his confidence level about being back at full strength for either the start of training camp or the start of the regular season.

"Right now I’m just taking it one day at a time," he replied. "When it’s time for me to wake you up, I’m going to wake you up now. But right now I’m just taking it one day at a time."

Before he was injured, Roberts had put together a fairly solid first season for the Dolphins after coming over from the New England Patriots.

As previously advertised, Roberts did his best work in 2020 against the run, particularly standing out on a couple of fourth-and-1 stops.

But now he's on the mend, something he says is a new experience for him.

"This is my first time really being hurt," Robert said. "It tests your mental because I never really had an injury, but at the end of the day, just me, how I grew up, I've been going through adversity my whole life. It's just another bump in the road. It's really not a bump to me. I just lay the pavement."

While the injury certainly didn't help Roberts' marketability in the free agent market this year, the Dolphins obviously thought enough of him to bring him back.

For his part, Roberts likes the vibe he's gotten from Dolphins headquarters since he arrived in South Florida.

“I feel like the energy around the building since I’ve been here is always good," he said. "You’ve got players and coaches that love football, that love the grind and stuff like that. If there’s a problem, we’re trying to fix it and we don’t really care how long it takes. That’s the good thing about the building. There’s no complacency. You just gotta understand all we’re going to do is try to get better and better.”