4/22/2021 football Edit

Oregon State Linebacker Avery Roberts Nearing Full Health

Brenden Slaughter • BeaversEdge

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During Oregon State's penultimate game of the 2020 season against Stanford, linebacker Avery Roberts thought he only suffered a stinger after making a tackle against the Cardinal.

The 6-foot-1, 233-pound junior inside 'backer didn't initially think much of the pain that would ultimately end up being a broken arm when the play happened, but after realizing that he'd suffered a major injury, it hit him.

"I thought I had a stinger in my arm, which is normal because I get at least one a game," Roberts said. "Then I realized I couldn't move my fingers or wrist."

The loss of Roberts was a tough blow for the Beavers to absorb, even with only one game left on the schedule as he was in the midst of a stellar season that saw him lead the Pac-12 in total tackles with 69.

Flash forward to mid-April and several weeks into spring football and Roberts is now well on his way to being back to 100% on the field after working through a lengthy rehab this offseason.

For Roberts, this was the first time he's suffered a broken bone, and it's the longest time he's been away from the game because of injury.

He's been exclusively working on individual drills to this point and is being uber-cautious coming back as he knows that there's nothing to rush back for and is pleased with where he's at in his recovery.

"It feels good, but right now we're just playing it safe," Roberts said. "I'm not fully there yet, but I'm feeling good and we just want to be smart with it because we don't play football for a couple of more months."

While it's undetermined whether or not we'll see Roberts go live in some fashion this spring, he's aiming to be 100% with no limitations by the start of summer, which would put him in a perfect position to step right back into the fold to start fall camp in August.

Linebacker is a position of tremendous depth for the Beavers, but they're at their best when Roberts and fellow inside 'backer Omar Speights are anchoring the middle of the defense.

Roberts & Speights finished No. 1 & No. 2, respectively, in the Pac-12 in total tackles last season, and that dynamic duo is nearly back on the field together.

Once it is, the Beavers will be one step closer towards shoring up a defense that is looking to put all the pieces together this year...