After losing Casey Hayward in free agency this offseason, the Raiders have a big hole at the outside cornerback spot. They are hoping that a few of their younger cornerbacks can step up, but the one player that hasn’t received a lot of buzz is former fourth-round pick Amik Robertson.
In a recent article by Tashan Reed of The Athletic, he mentioned that Robertson has worked with the first-team defensive unit. But what’s more interesting is where he has been playing. According to Reed, Robertson worked on the outside, rotating with Rock Ya-Sin and Anthony Averett:
“Amik Robertson has gotten some looks at first-team outside cornerback. Robertson’s lack of size and inconsistent technique have been issues in the past, but Mullen being out has opened the door for him to have a chance to prove himself.”
Robertson is a very small cornerback, but he wasn’t able to beat out Nate Hobbs for the slot job last season. And with Hobbs practicing in the slot again this year, it doesn’t appear the Raiders have any intention of moving him.
So could Robertson earn some snaps on the outside this season? It’s possible. He would need to beat out Ya-Sin or Averett for snaps and that might be hard to do. However, Robertson was an All-American at La Tech as an outside cornerback, so it’s not like he hasn’t played that spot before.
Entering his third season in the NFL, it’s a make-or-break year for Robertson. But at least we are seeing him take some steps in the right direction during minicamp.