Amik Robertson is heading back to Detroit this weekend with a very different kind of feeling than the last time he lined up against the Lions. Back then, he was trying to stop Jayden Daniels. Now, he’s watching him every day in Washington.
Robertson was part of the 2024 Lions defense that ran into Daniels in the divisional round, a game the Commanders won by two touchdowns. Asked what stood out most from preparing for Daniels, Robertson didn’t dress it up.
"F****ng Headache."
He expanded on that in a way that made the point even clearer.
"A f****ng headache. It was a headache, bro.
A quarterback that young, of course, we saw what he did at LSU. I'm a Louisiana guy.
I watch LSU. But to see him do that at the next level, you're not surprised, but you're like, ‘Wow,’ right?
You're like, man, to see he's that young, to be able to go out there and be able to see the game, slow the game down," Robertson said. "For a rookie, it's not too many quarterbacks that can come out there and do that.
And just watching tape on him, we game-planned for him the whole week. I mean, it didn't work, but we game-planned for him the whole week, man.
And he was at the biggest stage, and he was able to be successful. Like I tell everybody, I'm just glad I'm on this team now."
After spending all of training camp around Daniels, Robertson says the quarterback’s edge shows up in the smallest moments, too. He pointed to Daniels’ lone interception in camp as an example of how hard Daniels pushes himself.
"But he was hot about that. But that just goes to show you how he attacks his work each and every day," said Robertson.
"He wants to be perfect. He wants to be the best.
He feels like when he makes a mistake, he let the team down. But of course, he's not letting us down.
We're always rooting for him. We're always going to run through a wall for him as well.
But that just shows you how much he wants to be great."
Now the roles have flipped completely. Robertson isn’t trying to crack Daniels’ game anymore; he’s getting a front-row seat to it. And he says the experience in Detroit still matters to him, even as he wears Burgundy and Gold.
"When I think about it, Detroit was a team that really helped me find myself again, right? A team that believed in me, a team that put me on a bigger stage and believed in me."
Saturday’s return to Detroit gives Robertson a strange little circle to close: the former Lion coming back with the quarterback who once turned his old defense into a problem.
There’s also another Commanders note from Friday. Laremy Tunsil, who is recovering from a triceps injury and may not play Saturday, was named the NFLPA’s offseason Community MVP for his annual Single Mothers’ Wellness Event through Divine Tree. The event gave single mothers a day built around their own well-being, with a styling suite, relaxation lounge, guided yoga, and wellness and beauty gifts.
While Washington waits for its starting left tackle to return, Tunsil’s latest honor underscores the work he’s still doing off the field.
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