ASHBURN, Virginia -- The six yards he covered on the field in front of a national audience on Thursday earned him eye rolls, head shakes and a lifetime of jokes by teammates. Washington Redskins linebacker Pete Robertson carried a punt into the end zone rather than downing it, resulting in a touchback. A crowd groaned; players expressed dismay. Robertson had to shrug it off.

The journey he traveled just to reach the NFL was a lot longer -- and it’s why he won’t let one gaffe defeat him. It’s why, four days later, when asked about his special-teams play, Robertson joked, “I don’t remember that. I remember the tackle on the kickoff.”

Robertson remembers even more clearly his job of a year ago. And what happened before the 2016 draft. And what it took for him to play his first NFL game last week in the win over the New York Giants.

A year ago, Robertson was in the middle of his three-month stint at UPS -- at Dallas-Fort Worth International Airport. As the Redskins play in Dallas on Thursday, it’s a chance for Robertson -- a backup linebacker and special-teamer -- to reflect on a tough 2016, but a stellar 2017.

After signing with Seattle following the draft, Robertson was cut in the summer. Nobody called, so he was forced to find work. With a daughter, who then was 1-year old, Robertson couldn’t sit around just training.

“She’s way more important than I am,” Robertson said of his daughter, Finely Rose. “That’s what I had to do, work at UPS. I didn’t want to do it, but I had to do it for her.”

Tough times

It wasn’t easy. He had to stay in shape for football while working the midnight to 9 a.m. shift -- for around $10 an hour. Last week, just for playing one game, he earned $27,352.

“It was difficult at times,” Robertson said. “There were times where you doubt yourself and wonder you’re here working at UPS. It’s crazy, my manager at the time, a guy named JT, he kept me motivated. I’d come in there and he knew I really didn’t want to be in there.

“I was working with a whole bunch of guys 40 and up. But he always kept me encouraged and let me know it’s not the end of the road. It’s hard to believe that when you’re in that position and you’re clocking in and you know that’s not what you want to do. That’s not where your heart is.”

Robertson couldn’t recall JT’s name; just his initials. He didn’t want to get personal with anyone and, therefore, wasn’t worried about last names. But it speaks to Robertson not being ready to move on from his NFL desires. Sure enough, after getting off his shift one morning, he received a call from his agent about a tryout with Washington. A week after the season ended, the Redskins signed him to a futures contract.

Nerve damage

Fortunately for Robertson, he had recovered from the herniated disc he suffered during a workout in which he was doing a dead lift with resistance bands. Robertson left the facility in Los Angeles on a cart. He said the L4-L5 vertebrae in his spine were bent and pinched his nerves. That, he said, turned off the muscles in his legs.

This with his Pro Day upcoming.

“I couldn’t walk long enough without my hip start hurting,” he said.

He rested the day before his Pro Day, then the morning of his workout he woke up early and headed to the trainer’s room.

“By the time I was doing my Pro Day I thought things were fine, but it wasn’t,” he said. “It was terrible. Everything I did was terrible.”

Scouts eventually learned about his injury, but it impacted his standing. He said when teams called, the first thing they asked about was his health. He would tell them yes, he was fine, but no one signed him. That didn’t deter him.

“A lot was going through my mind, but I always told myself that running around, lifting weights and performing for a Pro Day doesn’t make you a football player,” he said. “Like I told my agent, when I put my helmet on they’re gonna like me.”

The Redskins liked him enough to keep him on the practice squad after final cuts. He can play inside linebacker and also rush as an outside linebacker and, yes, help on special teams (he admitted to being confused on downing the punt).

For Robertson, it was also an opportunity to play with his cousin, left tackle Trent Williams. He trained with Williams all summer, going in at 10 a.m. and leaving at 8 p.m., five nights a week.

Roberston credited Williams with motivating him. Williams, after an initial jab at his gaffe, rejects the credit.

“To see him run a punt back for a touchback? That was pretty embarrassing to the both of us,” Williams said, smiling. “I’ve been in his ear every now and then, but he’s a mentally strong guy, a very motivated guy. Everything he’s accomplished thus far, coming from working at UPS and now being on the 53-man roster, it’s a complete turnaround.”