Craig Robertson (American football)

Craig Robertson (born February 11, 1988) is an American football linebacker for the New Orleans Saints of the National Football League (NFL) He was signed by the Cleveland Browns as an undrafted free agent in 2011. Robertson played college football at North Texas.

Craig Robertson
Robertson with the Cleveland Browns
No. 52 – New Orleans Saints
Position:Linebacker
Personal information
Born: (1988-02-11) February 11, 1988
Stafford, Texas
Height:6 ft 1 in (1.85 m)
Weight:233 lb (106 kg)
Career information
High school:Stafford (Stafford, Texas)
College:North Texas
Undrafted:2011
Career history
Roster status:Active
Career highlights and awards
Career NFL statistics as of 2020
Total tackles:579
Sacks:9.0
Forced fumbles:3
Fumble recoveries:9
Interceptions:10
Defensive touchdowns:1
Player stats at NFL.com

High school career

Craig Robertson attended Stafford High School in Stafford, Texas.

Robertson played many positions in high school, including option quarterback, running back, cornerback, wide receiver, kicker and punter. Robertson was also an all-star performer in basketball and baseball. He was also an honor roll student and member of student council while prepping at Stafford High School. Following a stellar career on and off the field at Stafford, Robertson chose to play football at the University of North Texas.[1] Robertson is one of only three former football players from Stafford High School to play in the NFL.

College career

The athletic Robertson was initially recruited to play safety at North Texas. However, Robertson displayed a physicality that coaches felt would be better served at linebacker. After redshirting his freshman year, Robertson became the starter at linebacker midway through his redshirt freshman season, a position he held the remainder of his collegiate career. During his tenure at North Texas, Robertson earned All-America honors as a freshman, and Sun Belt All-Conference honors as a sophomore and senior. As a senior, Robertson led the conference in solo tackles and total tackles.[2]

While attending North Texas, Robertson became a member of Phi Gamma chapter of Omega Psi Phi fraternity.

Professional career
Pre-draft measurables
Height Weight 40-yard dash 10-yard split 20-yard split 20-yard shuttle Three-cone drill Vertical jump Broad jump Bench press
6 ft 0 1⁄2 in
(1.84 m)		 235 lb
(107 kg)		 4.76 s 1.64 s 2.73 s 4.27 s 7.01 s 34 1⁄2 in
(0.88 m)		 9 ft 7 in
(2.92 m)		 22 reps
All values from North Texas's Pro Day[3]

2011

Robertson went undrafted in the 2011 NFL Draft and did not receive any offers to sign as an undrafted free agent or invitations to tryout during rookie minicamp.[4]

Cleveland Browns

On December 19, 2011, the Cleveland Browns signed Robertson to their practice squad after he attended a tryout.[5] He remained on the practice squad for the last two games of the regular season.

2012

On January 3, 2012, the Cleveland Browns signed Robertson to a two-year, $870,000 reserve/futures contract.[6][7]

Throughout OTA's and training camp, he competed for a roster spot, as a backup linebacker, against James-Michael Johnson, Quinton Spears, Kaluka Maiava, Emmanuel Acho, Ben Jacobs, L. J. Fort, and JoJo Dickson.[8][9] Head coach Pat Shurmur named Robertson the backup outside linebacker, behind Scott Fujita, Kakula Maiava, and James-Michael Johnson, to begin the regular season.[10]

He had an opportunity to play immediately on defense after rookie Emmanuel Acho was placed on injured reserve due to an undisclosed injury, starting outside linebacker Chris Gocong was placed on IR after tearing his Achilles tendon during camp in August, and the Browns' other starting outside linebacker, Scott Fujita, was suspended for the first three games due to his participation in the New Orleans Saints bounty scandal.[11][12]

He made his professional regular season debut in the Cleveland Browns' season-opener against the Philadelphia Eagles and recorded nine combined tackles, two pass deflections, and made his first career interception off a pass by quarterback Michael Vick in their 17–16 loss.[13] He made his first career tackle with teammate D'Qwell Jackson on tight end Brent Celek and his first career solo tackle on Jason Avant, with both coming in the first quarter.[14] In Week 3, Robertson earned his first career start, in place of Kakula Maiava, and made eight combined tackles during a 24–14 loss to the Buffalo Bills.[13] On November 18, 2012, Robertson recorded five combined tackles and made his first career sack on quarterback Tony Romo during a 23–20 loss at the Dallas Cowboys in Week 11.[13] On December 23, 2012, he earned his third career start and recorded a season-high 14 combined tackles (12 solo) in a 34–12 loss at the Denver Broncos. Defensive coordinator Dick Jauron opted to start Robertson at outside linebacker, instead of Kakula Maiava.[13] Robertson finished his rookie season with 93 combined tackles (62 solo), three pass deflections, two interceptions, and one sack in 16 games and three starts.[15] He was used as an extra linebacker in nickel packages and was tasked with covering the tight end.[7]

On December 31, 2012, it was reported that the Cleveland Browns' new owner, Jimmy Haslam, fired head coach Pat Shurmur and general manager Tom Heckert, Jr. after they finished fourth in the AFC North with a 5-11 record.[16]

2013

Robertson entered OTA's and training camp in 2013 and competed to be a starting inside linebacker in Ray Horton's base 3-4 defense against James-Michael Johnson.[17] Head coach Rob Chudzinski named Robertson the starting right inside linebacker, along with left inside linebacker D'Qwell Jackson, to begin the regular season.[18]

He started in the Cleveland Browns' season-opener against the Miami Dolphins and made five combined tackles in their 23–10 loss. On October 27, 2013, Robertson recorded a season-high 11 solo tackles and sacked Alex Smith in the Browns' 23–17 loss at the Kansas City Chiefs in Week 8. On November 17, 2013, he made three combined tackles before exiting the Browns' 41–20 loss at the Cincinnati Bengals in the second quarter with a knee injury. He attempted to return to the game, but was unable to continue. Robertson underwent an MRI the following day and was diagnosed with a knee sprain that sidelined him for the next two games (Weeks 12–13).[19][20] He finished the 2013 season with 85 combined tackles (57 solo), three pass deflections, three sacks, and an interception in 14 games and 14 starts.[15] On December 30, 2013, the Cleveland Browns' general manager Mike Lombardi unexpectedly fired head coach Rob Chudzinski after the Browns finished 4-12.[21] Lombardi would be fired less than three months later. His overall grade from Pro Football Focus ranked 52nd out of the 55 inside linebackers that qualified.[22]

2014

On March 6, 2014, the Cleveland Browns extended a exclusive-rights free agent tender offer to Robertson.[23] On April 7, 2014, Robertson signed his one-year, $570,000 tender offer from the Browns.[24]

Defensive coordinator Jim O'Neil held a competition between Robertson and rookie Christian Kirksey for the job as a starting inside linebacker.[25] Head coach Mike Pettine named Robertson the starter, along with right inside linebacker Karlos Dansby, to start the regular season.[26]

In Week 10, Robertson recorded six combined tackles, broke up a pass, and intercepted a pass by Andy Dalton during a 24-3 victory at the Cincinnati Bengals. On December 7, 2014, he collected a season-high 12 combined tackles (ten solo) and deflected a pass in the Browns' 25-24 loss to the Indianapolis Colts. He finished the season with 99 combined tackles (57 solo), four pass deflections, and two interceptions in 16 games and 11 starts.[15] He finished with the 19th highest overall grade, among 60 qualifying inside linebackers by Pro Football Focus.[27]

2015

On March 9, 2015, Browns general manager Ray Farmer placed a restricted free agent tender on Robertson.[28] On April 20, 2015, the Cleveland Browns signed Robertson to a one-year, $2.35 million contract tender.[5]

Throughout training camp, he competed against Christian Kirksey to retain his job as the starting inside linebacker. Head coach Mike Pettine named him the backup behind Kirksey to begin the regular season.[29]

On September 27, 2015, Robertson made three combined tackles before leaving the Browns' 27–20 loss at the Oakland Raiders after suffering an ankle injury. He missed the next four games due to a sprained ankle (Week 4–8).[30] In Week 13, Robertson recorded a season-high nine combined tackles in the Browns' 37–3 loss to the Cincinnati Bengals. On January 3, 2016, Robertson made three combined tackles, broke up a pass, and intercepted a pass by quarterback Ben Roethlisberger during a 28–12 loss to the Pittsburgh Steelers.[31] He finished with 59 combined tackles (34 solo), five pass deflections, and an interception in 12 games and nine starts. He experienced a career low in tackles and snaps due to his four-game absence and sharing his starting job with Christian Kirksey.[15]

2016

Robertson became an unrestricted free agent after the 2015 season and had private visits with the Seattle Seahawks and New Orleans Saints.[32]

New Orleans Saints

On March 22, 2016, the New Orleans Saints signed Robertson to a three-year, $5 million contract that includes $1.96 million guaranteed and a signing bonus of $1.20 million.[33]

Throughout training camp, he competed for the job as the starting weakside linebacker against Dannell Ellerbe and Nate Stupar.[34] Head coach Sean Payton named Robertson the backup weakside linebacker, behind Dannell Ellerbe, to start the regular season.[35][36]

He made his New Orleans Saints' regular season debut in their season-opener against the Oakland Raiders and recorded 11 combined tackles (eight solo) and a pass deflection in their 35–34 loss. The following week, he collected a season-high 13 combined tackles (ten solo) in the Saints' 16–13 loss at the New York Giants. In Week 9, Robertson made five combined tackles, two pass deflections, and intercepted a pass by Colin Kaepernick during a 41–23 victory at the San Francisco 49ers.[37] The following week, he collected nine combined tackles, broke up a pass, and made his first sack as a Saint on quarterback Trevor Siemian during a 25–23 loss to the Denver Broncos.[38] On December 4, 2016, Robertson recorded four solo tackles before exiting the Saints' 28–13 loss to the Detroit Lions in three fourth quarter after sustaining an injury.[39][40] He was sidelined for the Saints' Week 14 loss at the Tampa Bay Buccaneers due to his injured shoulder. He finished the 2016 season with a career-high 115 combined tackles (71 solo), four pass deflections, a sack, and an interception in 15 games and 15 starts.[15]

2017

Throughout training camp, he competed against A. J. Klein, Manti Te'o, and Alex Anzalone to maintain his job as the starting middle linebacker.[41] Defensive coordinator Dennis Allen opted to name him the backup weakside linebacker behind rookie Alex Anzalone. Robertson lost his starting middle linebacker role to newly acquired free agent Manti Te'o.[42]

Robertson became the starting weakside linebacker in Week 5 after Alex Anzalone was place on injured reserve after sustaining a shoulder injury the previous week.[43] On October 15, 2017, Robertson made his first start of the season and recorded a season-high 11 combined tackles (four solo), deflected a pass, and sacked Matthew Stafford during a 52–38 victory against the Detroit Lions in Week 6.[38] In Week 15, he recorded seven combined tackles, a pass deflection, and intercepted a pass by Bryce Petty during a 31–19 win against the New York Jets.[38] Robertson finished the 2017 season with 80 combined tackles (53 solo), six pass deflections, two interceptions, and two sacks in 16 games and 12 starts.[15] Pro Football Focus gave Robertson an overall grade of 74.6, ranking him 39th among all qualifying linebackers in 2017.[44]

The New Orleans Saints finished first in the NFC South with an 11–5 record. On January 7, 2018, Robertson started in his first career playoff game and recorded six combined tackles in the Saints' 31–26 victory against the Carolina Panthers in the NFC Wildcard Game.[38] The following week, he made nine combined tackles during a 29–24 loss at the Minnesota Vikings in the NFC Divisional Round.[38]

2018

In 2018, Robertson played in all 16 games, recording a career-low 14 combined tackles.

2019

On March 11, 2019, Robertson signed a two-year contract extension with the Saints.[45]

References
  1. "#42 - Craig Robertson". Archived from the original on August 25, 2012. Retrieved September 9, 2012.
  2. "Craig Robertson Stats | College Football at". Sports-reference.com. Retrieved April 1, 2014.
  3. "Craig Robertson, DS #58 ILB, North Texas". DraftScout.com. Retrieved April 13, 2018.
  4. Reed, Tom (November 29, 2014). "Linebacker Craig Robertson savors added responsibilities in life and with Cleveland Browns". Cleveland.com. Retrieved April 13, 2018.
  5. "Spotrac.com: Craig Robertson contract". Spotrac.com. Retrieved April 13, 2018.
  6. Ulrich, Nathan (January 3, 2012). "Browns sign eight players to reserve/future contracts". Ohio.com. Retrieved April 13, 2018.
  7. Ulrich, Nate (April 18, 2012). "Browns linebacker Craig Robertson proving he belongs in NFL, shouldn't be overlooked - Top Stories". Ohio. Retrieved April 1, 2014.
  8. "Ourlads.com: Cleveland Browns Depth Chart: 06/01/2012". Ourlads.com. Retrieved April 13, 2018.
  9. Pokorny, Chris (July 20, 2012). "Cleveland Browns Training Camp 2012: LB Preview, Part 2". dawgsbynature.com.
  10. "Ourlads.com: Cleveland Browns Depth Chart: 10/01/2012". Ourlads.com. Retrieved April 13, 2018.
  11. Hangst, Andrea (May 2, 2012). "How the Scott Fujita Suspension Could Actually Benefit the Cleveland Browns". bleacherreport.com. Retrieved April 13, 2018.
  12. "Browns' Chris Gocong hurts Acilles". ESPN.com. August 4, 2012. Retrieved April 13, 2018.
  13. "NFL Player stats: Craig Robertson (2012)". NFL.com. Retrieved April 13, 2018.
  14. "NFL Game Center: Week 1-2012: Philadelphia Eagles @ Cleveland Browns". NFL.com. Retrieved April 13, 2012.
  15. "NFL Player stats: Craig Robertson (career)". NFL.com. Retrieved April 13, 2018.
  16. "Browns fire coach Pat Shurmur, GM Tom Heckert". FoxSports.com. Retrieved April 13, 2018.
  17. "Craig Robertson eager to prove wrong those who believe the Cleveland Browns must draft an inside linebacker". Cleveland.com. April 23, 2013. Retrieved April 13, 2018.
  18. Hangst, Andre (August 26, 2013). "Cleveland Browns Roster 2013: Latest Cuts, Depth Charts and Analysis". BleacherReport.com. Retrieved April 13, 2018.
  19. Sargent, Scott (November 19, 2013). "NFL News: Browns' Robertson suffered knee sprain in Sunday's loss". waitingfornextyear.com. Retrieved April 13, 2018.
  20. McManamon, Pat (November 20, 2013). "Injury Report: Robertson misses practice". ESPN.com. Retrieved April 13, 2018.
  21. Silver, Mike (December 30, 2013). "Rob Chudzinski firing infuriates many Cleveland Browns players". NFL.com. Retrieved April 13, 2018.
  22. "Cleveland Browns extend contract tender to ILB Craig Robertson". cleveland.com. March 6, 2014. Retrieved April 14, 2018.
  23. "Cleveland Browns extend contract tender to ILB Craig Robertson". Cleveland.com. March 6, 2014. Retrieved April 13, 2018.
  24. Wilkening, Mike (April 7, 2014). "Browns re-sign linebacker Craig Robertson". profootballtalk.nbcsports.com. Retrieved April 13, 2018.
  25. "Ourlads.com: Cleveland Browns Depth Chart: 07/01/2014". Ourlads.com. Retrieved April 13, 2018.
  26. Mueller, Jared. "Browns Release Week 1 Depth Chart: Surprises and a Mistake". dawgpounddaily.com. Retrieved April 13, 2018.
  27. "Rotoworld: Craig Robertson". rotoworld.com. Retrieved April 14, 2018.
  28. Gribble, Andrew (March 9, 2015). "Browns tender qualifying offers to 4 restricted free agents". ClevelandBrowns.com. Archived from the original on June 17, 2018. Retrieved April 13, 2018.
  29. "Cleveland Browns Unofficial Depth Chart: August 31". ClevelandBrowns.com. Retrieved April 13, 2018.
  30. Woods, David (September 29, 2015). "Report: Browns' Craig Robertson to miss a few weeks with ankle sprain". thescore.com. Retrieved April 13, 2018.
  31. "NFL Player stats: Craig Robertson (2015)". NFL.com. Retrieved April 13, 2018.
  32. Cabot, Mary Kay (March 15, 2016). "Free agent LB Demario Davis visiting Browns today". Cleveland.com. Retrieved April 13, 2018.
  33. "New Orleans Saints sign LB Craig Robertson and retain TE Josh Hill". NewOrleansSaints.com. March 25, 2016. Archived from the original on September 24, 2017.
  34. Triplett, Mike (July 21, 2016). "Saints' first-rounders Andrus Peat, Sheldon Rankins in tight battles". ESPN.com. Retrieved April 13, 2018.
  35. "Saints Release First Depth Chart for 2016 Season". foxsports.com. September 7, 2016. Retrieved April 12, 2018.
  36. Hendrix, John (September 8, 2016). "Saints' Week 1 depth chart lists Paul Kruger, Jahri Evans as starters".
  37. "NFL Game Center: Week 9-2016: New Orleans Saints @ San Francisco 49ers". NFL.com. Retrieved April 14, 2018.
  38. "NFL Player stats: Craig Robertson (2017)". NFL.com. Retrieved April 14, 2018.
  39. "Saints' Craig Robertson on his injury status: 'I'm straight'". Nola.com. December 4, 2016. Retrieved April 14, 2018.
  40. Threlkeld, Scott (December 11, 2016). "Saints will be shorthanded against Buccaneers without Michael Thomas, Max Unger and Craig Robertson". theadvocate.com. Retrieved April 14, 2018.
  41. DeShazier, John (July 27, 2017). "Saints' linebacker Craig Robertson ready to fight off competition". neworleanssaints.com. Retrieved April 14, 2018.
  42. Anderson, Roy (September 6, 2017). "Saints release first unofficial depth chart of regular season *UPDATED*". whodatdish.com. Archived from the original on March 16, 2018. Retrieved April 12, 2018.
  43. Erickson, Joel A. (October 4, 2017). "New Orleans Saints lose rookie linebacker Alex Anzalone to injured reserve". TheAdvocate.com.
  44. "Pro Football Focus: Craig Robertson". profootballfocus.com. Retrieved April 14, 2018.
  45. "New Orleans Saints Agree To Terms With LB Craig Robertson On Two-Year Contract Extension". NewOrleansSaints.com. March 11, 2019.
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