The Detroit Lions had two more big injury hits to their defense during their Week 15 loss to the Buffalo Bills, with defensive tackle Alim McNeill suffering a torn ACL and cornerback Carlton Davis suffering a fractured jaw. McNeill is out for the season, while Davis reportedly could return late if the Lions are able to make a deep playoff run.
On Monday, head coach Dan Campbell ran through options he and defensive coordinator Aaron Glenn are discussing to fill the void left by Davis (and the loss of Khalil Dorsey for the season during the game against Buffalo).
"Certainly E-man (Emmanuel Moseley) is somebody that we have on the roster,” Campbell said. “We’ve already got Vildor, who helped us out finishing that game. You’ve still got TA (Arnold). And you’re right, (Brian) Branch, he’s somebody we’ve got to talk about. What do we do with Branch? Do we keep him where he’s at? Do we move him? We’ve got Amik (Robertson). Does Amik stay inside? Does he go outside?”
Robertson has primarily played in the slot for the Lions this season (398 of 437 snaps, according to Pro Football Focus). But he shifted to primarily playing outside corner for the Raiders last season (506 of 674 snaps), and overall he allowed an 85.7 passer rating in his coverage last season (per PFF).
Amik Robertson is ready to step in for Carlton Davis if needed
Standing 5-foot-9 Robertson is easy to pigeonhole as a slot corner, but he resists any label that's easy to attach to him as a smaller corner. There's also a solid argument he's better on the perimeter, with the confidence and swagger you have to have out on an island in the man coverage Glenn typically prefers.
Asked if he'd like a bigger role on the outside in the wake of Davis' injury, Robertson gave the expected answer.
"I'm a football player, man. Wherever they put me at, I’ll play at a high level, play Amik Robertson, play Lions football, be myself within the scheme. So if that’s what we wanna do, then that’s what I’ll do," Robertson said, via Will Burchfield of 97.1 The Ticket.
Robertson said he was often matched up against the opponent's No. 1 wide receiver with the Raiders, and he sounds ready to do so again now if necessary.
"When you go against the (No. 1) guy, certain guys bow down. I don’t bow. I want the smoke," Robertson said. "I’m an ultimate competitor, man. When I go out there, I want to go against the best."
Davis is going to be hard, if not impossible, to replace. But it's no surprise that Robertson is ready to step up and into a different role if he's called upon to, and the easy bet is he'd have success in a role that fits him better.