# DetNews: Why Lions want to give CB Amik Robertson expanded role
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Robertson is the team’s starting nickel cornerback, which means he’s typically only involved in plays where the team has five defensive backs on the field. He’s played 51.5% of defensive snaps for Detroit compared to 77.5% for Arnold, whose number is a little deflated because he missed the second half at Green Bay.
According to TruMedia, the Lions are playing in their base 4-3 defense on 58.8% of snaps, the second-highest rate in the entire league, and are playing nickel on 37.6% of snaps, a rate that’s 30th in the league.
Detroit Lions cornerback Amik Robertson is pictured during the second half of a game against the Baltimore Ravens, Monday, Sept. 22, 2025, in Baltimore. Terrance Williams, AP
The Lions want to remedy that by giving Robertson some opportunities over Arnold, who’s allowed more yards as the nearest defender (233) than any cornerback in the league through three games.
“It has nothing to do with Terrion’s player performance. Let me start there,” Sheppard said. “Amik has always earned his keep with me. I saw it last year — that’s a player that’s earned the right to be on the field. And just with the frequency of base defense that we’re playing right now, he’s losing snaps, and to be honest, he’s earned more than what he’s gotten so far, so we were doing this regardless.”
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All told, Sheppard isn’t as down on Arnold’s performances as the outside world. Arnold is fourth on the team in tackles (15), which doesn’t garner as much attention but is still a critical part of his responsibilities.
“Everybody can point the finger at T.A., but you know why we were able to knock out the run game? Because he was playing with no help behind him for probably 50% of that game,” Sheppard said.
“Now, it’s no excuses. It’s the job you signed up for when you signed that contract as a corner in the NFL, you’re expected to do that. I told the D-line: How would you like to go out there on that island while you guys are having fun in here in the box, knowing there’s nobody back there? So, I want that to be said.”
Sheppard maintained that Arnold’s poor reps can be distilled down to “a few plays, but when you play (outside corner), those few plays get exposed.”
“It’s just growing pains. This kid is very young. What is he, 22 (years old)? He’s very young, and he’s still in the developing stages,” Sheppard said.
The struggles have been surprising to anybody who saw Arnold in training camp, where he was one of the best defenders on the field, period. Sheppard wants Arnold to regain the confidence that he had going against Amon-Ra St. Brown and Jameson Williams during the summer.
Sheppard said this type of reset, combined with even more “time on task,” can help Arnold hit his ceiling.
“Just go out there, believe in yourself and understand, you’re on an island. You may get beat, but it just can’t be busts, it can’t be big gains and things like that,” Sheppard said.
“It’s the NFL. Corner’s gonna get beat, man. It is what it is. It’s our job as coaches to find a way to help this player continue to develop and do the things we saw him do all training camp.”
agree, he’s already good, people just don’t know what they’re looking at. He’s sticky in coverage, but has some mental lapses
I’m personally already pleased with his play, progress, and trajectory
