ALLEN PARK -- Amik Robertson has been a security blanket for the Detroit Lions more than a couple of times over the last two years.
But they want the world to know that Robertson is so much more than a security blanket. With cornerbacks D.J. Reed on injured reserve and Terrion Arnold facing an uncertain timeline, the Lions will once again count on Robertson to lift the load.
Throw in the uncertain statuses of safeties Kerby Joseph and Brian Branch, and depth defensive back Avonte Maddox, and the secondary is facing an even tougher task against Patrick Mahomes and the Kansas City Chiefs.
Robertson has made switching from the inside to the outside part of his foray. He did it down the stretch at a high level when the Lions needed him most. Now, with a grueling five-game stretch ahead, starting with the Chiefs and Mahomes, they'll need him to do the same again.
"He's more than a security blanket. This guy is -- it's one of the reasons why we wanted to get him here as a free agent, because he's so feisty and competitive," Lions coach Dan Campbell said. "One of the things he really majors in is man coverage. He's a sticky cover guy. Very confident. He's got great hips, movement skills, and he's got ball skills.
"We are completely comfortable with him playing outside and playing in the slot. So, he's another guy. Thank goodness we got him, because we don't feel like there's a drop off with Amik."
Robertson has played 94 snaps at nickelback and another 83 at outside cornerback through five games. He notched the first interception of his tenure with the Lions last week against the Cincinnati Bengals.
But the first thing Robertson talked about after the game in the locker room was the one he gave up. The Bengals scored three touchdowns in the fourth quarter, with one of those coming on a 64-yard touchdown to receiver Ja'Marr Chase.
Robertson said he was hunting for picks and bit hard on Chase's stop at the sticks. And despite the win and strong showing, it was all he could talk about.
"I told myself my goal, that I wanted two (interceptions) because I knew I was going to have targets," Robertson said after the game. "He sat at the sticks. I was trying to jump it. That's all me, man. Just being greedy. Bad eyes. But it's something I can fix, man, you know, as far as, you know, because when I'm on it, man, when I'm playing with good eyes, whatever, I'm one of the most stickiest guys in the league.
"Me, personally, I feel like (expletive). This (expletive) is about finishing. We took a step backward toward the end of the game, and that (expletive) started with me."
Kelvin Sheppard said he loves that type of mentality. The Lions defensive coordinator detailed his past with Robertson, saying he's known about him through a friend in the player personnel department at LSU (Jeff Martin). When Robertson signed in Detroit, it was Martin who texted Sheppard:
"You just got a dog."
Martin told Sheppard he pounded the table for LSU to go after Robertson coming out of high school. All the talk was about how he was too small, this and that, but he knew this was a legit player. Robertson eventually went to Louisiana Tech and got himself drafted in the fourth round by the Las Vegas Raiders after an impressive stint there back in 2020.
"Amik is literally my dog. Like that's what I call - that is my pit bull," Sheppard said. "The ultimate respect ... (Martin told him) 'I watched him put on a knee brace and go out at LSU camp and ask for Justin Jefferson in one-on-ones.' That's stuff that people don't know about this player. He's always had the underdog mentality; people have always told him he wasn't good enough, 'You're too small,' this and that. And all he's done is put his head down and continue to work, and that's why you see this player be able to plug and play.
"That's not easy. It's one thing to plug and play; it's another thing to plug and play and get tasked with the receivers he's tasked with. I mean, we're talking about the elite of the elite in the league, and he doesn't bat an eye. And it's not fake, it's not phony, it's real. It's who he is, and it's a part of his DNA. I love everything about Amik."