The Detroit Lions have mostly avoided missing the players they let walk this offseason. David Montgomery hasn’t done much for the Houston Texans, the Lions got Juice Scruggs back in that trade and he’s playing at an elite level, and the offensive line has been so strong that Taylor Decker is still at home. Even with Al-Quadin Muhammad now with the Tampa Bay Buccaneers, the pass rush has held up, and fellow Buccaneer Alex Anzalone has not exactly looked like a difference-maker.
Still, there’s one departure that looks a lot tougher to shrug off: Amik Robertson.
That’s why a reunion at the trade deadline makes plenty of sense, at least in the eyes of Daniel Popper of The Athletic. In his “2026 Trade Deadline Big Board,” Popper ranked Robertson 18th overall out of 50 candidates and named him the top cornerback available. Popper said Robertson “could help a number of teams in the secondary” and noted, “He can play inside and outside.”
Popper also listed the Lions among Robertson’s “best fits,” alongside the Buffalo Bills, Cincinnati Bengals, Jacksonville Jaguars, and Pittsburgh Steelers.
Detroit let Robertson leave this offseason mainly to clear space for other moves. The Lions replaced him in the slot and nickel spot with Roger McCreary, who signed a one-year, $1,402,00 deal. Robertson, meanwhile, landed with the Washington Commanders on a two-year, $16 million contract.
So far, Robertson has been one of the bright spots on a Commanders defense that has allowed the third most points in the NFL. That’s a rough backdrop for Dan Quinn’s group, even with bye weeks factored in.
Robertson made an instant impression before the games even counted, when he delivered a sack fumble against Joshua Dobbs in a preseason meeting with the Lions. The play ended with a scoop-and-score.
He has kept producing in the regular season. Robertson has forced another fumble and added eight pass deflections, which would lead the Lions.
Only McCreary has more than three PDs for Detroit, and six of his seven came in the win over the Arizona Cardinals. The rest of the Lions defense has combined for 17 pass deflections.
Robertson’s 40 tackles would rank second on the team behind Jack Campbell’s 43, and his 28 solo tackles would lead the Lions.
The advanced numbers back up the production, too. Robertson owns a 69.8 Pro Football Focus grade, which ranks 20th among qualified cornerbacks.
His 86.8 run defense grade is sixth among corners, and he has allowed a 92.9 passer rating. McCreary, by comparison, has a 53.8 grade, 77th among cornerbacks, and has given up a 111.6 passer rating.
Robertson wouldn’t solve everything on his own. Ideally, Detroit would go after a bigger outside corner and let D.J.
Reed slide into CB2. Robertson isn’t that kind of answer unless the assignment is shadowing Justin Jefferson.
But for a Lions defense that keeps shuffling pieces in search of something that works, bringing back a familiar face would be a smart, affordable move.
He already knows Kelvin Sheppard’s man defense, and that makes the fit easy. More important, he can actually cover people. And right now, the Lions need more of that in the secondary.
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