Dan Campbell made headlines back in 2021 when he was named head coach for the Detroit Lions after this quote:
“Here’s what I do know — that this team is going to take on the identity of this city,” Campbell said in 2021, via Ryan Hockensmith of ESPN. “And this city’s been down, and it found a way to get up. It’s found a way to overcome adversity. So this team’s going to be built on, we’re going to kick you in the teeth, all right? And when you punch us back, we’re going to smile at you, and when you knock us down, we’re going to get up. And on the way up, we’re going to bite a kneecap off.”
There was more, but you get the point. The competitive spirit Campbell was known for as a player had followed him into coaching. Five years later, Campbell has completely transformed the Lions from a perennial doormat to a contender. While Detroit has featured elite talent on both sides of the ball, he also wanted players who exhibited the same spirit he described in his opening speech.
Cornerback Amik Robertson was one of those players. Detroit signed the 5-foot-9, 183-pound cornerback ahead of the 2024 season, and he played two seasons for the Lions, appearing in 34 games with 14 starts. Robertson played a key role in Detroit’s recent success, often rotating between playing outside cornerback and in the slot.
On Monday, the Lions lost Robertson, as he signed a two-year deal with the Washington Commanders.
As expected, Campbell appreciated everything about Robertson.
“Great guy. Great guy to have. He’s a skilled player, and he’s tenacious, he’s feisty, he’s confident, and teammates love his energy because he does, he brings it all the time,” Campbell said last season. “He brings it in practice, brings it in the games, he’s a ball guy. And he is, he’s one of those guys that sparks our defense, the other guys around him. Look, I say it all the time, it doesn’t matter about how things go as it pertains to OK, a play happens here, somebody gets a play on you, they make a play on you, it’s a great whatever. You just want to know those guys will go in there and they’ll compete. They will compete, there’s no fear, and they’re going to cut it loose. And as long as our guys do that — which Amik’s one of those guys — we’ll be just fine.”
High praise from Lions HC Dan Campbell on new #Commanders CB Amik Robertson: “he’s tenacious, he’s feisty he’s confident and teammates love his energy…he brings it in practice, brings it in games – he’s a ball guy” https://t.co/ZVAG2lBKW8pic.twitter.com/gfOcqJeGNd
— Commanders on Roundtable (@WSHRoundtable) March 9, 2026
Robertson should fit in just fine in Washington. Head coach Dan Quinn often describes these types of players as “dog-a– competitors.” It sounds like something we’ll be hearing from Quinn when he describes Robertson in the future.
This article originally appeared on Commanders Wire: Washington Commanders: Dan Campbell a big fan of Amik Robertson