Dewayne Jamar Robertson (born October 16, 1981) is an American former professional football player who was a defensive tackle in the National Football League (NFL). He was selected by the New York Jets fourth overall in the 2003 NFL draft and has also played for the Denver Broncos. He played college football for the Kentucky Wildcats.

Dewayne Robertson
refer to caption
Robertson with the Broncos in 2008
No. 63
Position:Defensive tackle
Personal information
Born: (1981-10-16) October 16, 1981 (age 43)
Memphis, Tennessee, U.S.
Height:6 ft 1 in (1.85 m)
Weight:317 lb (144 kg)
Career information
High school:Memphis (TN) Melrose
College:Kentucky
NFL draft:2003 / round: 1 / pick: 4
Career history
Career highlights and awards
Career NFL statistics
Total tackles:283
Sacks:16.0
Forced fumbles:3
Fumble recoveries:2
Stats at Pro Football Reference

Early life

edit

Robertson attended Melrose High School in Memphis, Tennessee and was a letterman in football. In football, he was a two-time All-Metropolitan Memphis honoree and a two-time All-State honoree.

College career

edit

Robertson attended college at the University of Kentucky. He originally intended to play H-Back, but was later converted back to defensive tackle after several key drops in spring practice. As a freshman, he was named Freshman All-SEC by the league's coaches.

In his junior season in 2002, Robertson recorded 48 tackles, five sacks for -40 yards, 13 quarterback pressures, a pass defensed, and a blocked kick, earning a second-team All-SEC selection.

Robertson decided to forgo his senior season and enter the 2003 NFL draft. He finished his collegiate career with 114 tackles, one fumble recovery, three forced fumbles and 10.5 sacks in three seasons.

Professional career

edit

New York Jets

edit

Robertson was chosen by the New York Jets after his junior year in the first round with the fourth overall pick of the 2003 NFL draft.[1] He was the highest selected defensive player from Kentucky since Art Still went second overall in the 1978 NFL draft.

He started all 16 games during his rookie season (2003), recording 43 tackles and 1.5 sacks. He was the first Jets defensive player to start every game in his rookie season since Mo Lewis in 1991.

He played in all 16 games in 2004, totaling 52 tackles and 3 sacks. He had 7 tackles in the Jets’ 20–17 overtime Wild Card playoff victory on the road against the San Diego Chargers.

Robertson played in 13 games, tallying 43 tackles, 3.5 sacks, and 1 pass breakup. For the first time in his career, he missed a game in Week 15, due to an injured thigh.

On November 14, 2006, Robertson was named the AFC Defensive Player of the Week for Week 10. He had six tackles and a sack in the Jets' Week 10 win over the New England Patriots.

Robertson's career with the Jets was labeled as a bust, considering the high expectations and the Jets efforts to trade up to draft him.

On March 3, 2008, ESPN.com reported that Robertson has been traded to the Bengals.[2] However, later that same day, FOXSports.com broke the news that Robertson and the Bengals were unable to come to terms on a new contract, resulting in the trade falling through.[3]

Denver Broncos

edit

On April 24, 2008, the Jets reached an agreement to trade Robertson to the Denver Broncos for a late-round conditional pick in the 2009 NFL draft. This pick could have escalated as high as a second rounder based on the statistics and performance of Robertson.[4] Upon acquiring Robertson, the Broncos signed him to a five-year contract believed to be worth about $24 million.[5]

Robertson was released by the Broncos on February 16, 2009, after just one season with the team.

NFL career statistics

edit
Legend
Bold Career high

Regular season

edit
Year Team Games Tackles Interceptions Fumbles
GP GS Cmb Solo Ast Sck TFL Int Yds TD Lng PD FF FR Yds TD
2003 NYJ 16 16 46 37 9 1.5 6 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0
2004 NYJ 16 16 53 39 14 3.0 6 0 0 0 0 0 1 0 0 0
2005 NYJ 13 12 43 28 15 3.5 3 0 0 0 0 1 1 0 0 0
2006 NYJ 16 16 62 37 25 2.5 4 0 0 0 0 0 1 1 0 0
2007 NYJ 16 15 57 36 21 4.0 5 0 0 0 0 0 0 1 0 0
2008 DEN 15 15 22 18 4 1.5 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0
92 90 283 195 88 16.0 24 0 0 0 0 1 3 2 0 0

Playoffs

edit
Year Team Games Tackles Interceptions Fumbles
GP GS Cmb Solo Ast Sck TFL Int Yds TD Lng PD FF FR Yds TD
2004 NYJ 2 2 7 6 1 0.0 2 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0
2006 NYJ 1 1 8 4 4 0.0 0 0 0 0 0 0 1 0 0 0
3 3 15 10 5 0.0 2 0 0 0 0 0 1 0 0 0

References

edit
  1. ^ "2003 NFL Draft Listing". Pro-Football-Reference.com. Retrieved March 28, 2023.
  2. ^ ESPN - Bengals can't work out deal with Robertson so trade on hold - NFL
  3. ^ Everybody Loves a Smart Alex - FOX Sports Blogs Archived 2008-03-04 at the Wayback Machine
  4. ^ Jets Trade Dewayne Robertson to Broncos
  5. ^ Roster ready