Having already made one notable cornerback addition via trade, the Lions are set to add further to their secondary. Detroit has agreed to a two-year deal with Amik Robertson worth $9.25M, NFL.com’s Tom Pelissero tweets.
The four-year Raiders contributor will join Carlton Davis as outside additions coming in to help the Lions’ cornerback situation. Detroit has re-signed Emmanuel Moseley as well, rounding out a still-Cameron Sutton-led CB corps. Robertson is coming off a 12-start season.
Patrick Graham turned to Robertson as a starter more than the Jon Gruden-era Raiders DCs did; the 2020 fourth-round pick logged 19 starts over the past two seasons. The Louisiana Tech product has spent time in the slot and on the boundary in Las Vegas. The Lions have Brian Branch stationed in the slot, but with the 2023 second-round pick also bringing safety experience to the table, the Robertson addition — as the C.J. Gardner-Johnson pickup did last year — provides Aaron Glenn options.
At 5-foot-8, Robertson certainly has a slot frame. Starting only two games before Graham’s arrival, Robertson has also forced three turnovers in each of the past two seasons (after a 12-INT college career). He intercepted two passes during both the 2022 and ’23 campaigns, forcing a fumble in each season as well. Robertson allowed a career-low 87.4 passer rating as the closest defender in coverage last season. He fared better in Graham’s two years in this department, and considering both seasons featured more than 670 snaps, the numbers mean a bit more than early-career struggles as a seldom-used DB.
Gardner-Johnson has not committed anywhere yet, as the torn pec sustained early last season clouds his market. If the Lions do consider moving Branch to safety, they would have a potential slot option in Robertson. Though, that setup may not excite like a Branch-CJGJ duo would.
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