Bradley Roby: "These First Couple of Games, It’s Going to be Weird"

The first Ohio State Buckeye will be in action to begin the 2020 NFL season Thursday night, as seventh-year cornerback Bradley Roby is set to line up at corner for the Houston Texans in prime time.

Roby, a first-round pick by the Denver Broncos back in 2014, now launches his second season with Houston and will have a tall order on opening night. His defense will have a playoff rematch with star quarterback Patrick Mahomes and the Kansas City Chiefs, reigning Super Bowl champions, after KC furiously erased a 24-0 deficit in last year’s divisional round to win 51-31.

The 5-foot-11 corner is back to full health after missing six games last year due to a hamstring injury, but unfortunately can’t say the same for fellow Buckeye alum Gareon Conley on the opposite side. Houston was slated to start a pair of Ohio State products on the edges until Conley was placed on injured reserve earlier this week. He will miss at least three weeks because of a lingering ankle injury.

Instead, Roby will lead secondary looking to slow down Mahomes and work out some preseason kinks.

“I just think it was a tough offseason to kind of gauge where you’re at,” Roby told SportsRadio 610 in Houston this week. “Personally, I just tried to keep grinding, keep my conditioning up, keep my strength up and not overdo it… but not trying to not work enough. I think it’s that balance. I think it’ll show in the first couple of weeks, the guys that kind of did it right.”

The NFL did not conduct any preseason games and has been very cautious with training camps around the league due to ongoing COVID-19 obstacles.

“I think that these first couple of games, it’s going to be weird,” Roby added. “It’s going to be preseason-like but real stats. Everything is going to count, but it’s going to look a little bit sloppy on both sides of the ball for everyone. Those first couple of plays when you’re out there and you’re just running around, and I think it’s that first hit when you get hit in the mouth. That’s when you wake up.”

The Suwanee, Georgia native is actually from the same hometown as current 2021 Buckeye defensive back commit Jordan Hancock, although the two attended different high schools. Roby has made 274 career tackles in the NFL, tallied 68 pass breakups and won a Super Bowl with the Broncos despite being ranked as the No. 650 prospect nationally coming out of high school.

Roby was a 2x All-Big Ten selection while in Columbus and earned second team All-American honors in 2012. He led the country in passes defended (19) and was the nation’s only player to score a touchdown three different ways; recovering a fumbled punt in the end zone, recovered a blocked punt in the end zone, and returned an interception against Nebraska.

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