Detroit Lions news: Corey Robinson traded to the Carolina Panthers
By Ash Thompson
The Detroit Lions have traded Corey Robinson in advance of the 4:00 PM deadline to cut down to 53 players.
Corey Robinson has been the Detroit Lions swing tackle, the primary backup offensive tackle on both sides of the line, for most of his NFL career. He will be taking his talents to Carolina and playing for the Panthers for the immediate future. The Lions received an as of 2020 seventh-round draft pick in exchange.
Robinson is a legitimate NFL backup caliber player, and that is why the Lions were able to secure compensation for his services. The Panthers are thin at the position because starters Matt Kalil and Daryl Willaims are both likely to miss part or all of the 2018 season with injuries.
The trade is a clear indication that Robinson had lost his spot on the Roster. His play during the preseason was not notably good or bad. he was just another Lions backup holding his own against other teams backups.
The play of rookie Tyrell Crosby, who has shown the ability to step into the swing tackle role for the team made this move easier for the Lions. Crosby joined the Lions in the fifth round of the 2018 draft. Unlike Robinson, Crosby has excelled in his time on the field. He looked better than the competition he faced regularly.
The in-house solutions to the Lions tackle depth void left by Robinson are interesting. Brian Mihalik stepped into the Lions starting line up briefly last year. Coming out of a reserve role, he got rolled by NFL competition, but after a week of preparation to start the game, he fared pretty well. During the 2018 preseason, he has looked similar to Robinson. He is just a guy, but he may still develop, and he is cheaper than Robinson would have been.
Dan Skipper is another interesting option. Skipper is a lofty 6’9″ which is a difficult leverage disadvantage to overcome. He has not looked awful in his time on the field though. That is not the ringing endorsement that a player making the 53 man roster should get, but here we are.
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The Lions decided to go a different direction, and Robinson netted them an asset on the way out the door. Even if the seventh round pick simply replaces the one that the Lions moved for Eli Harold, who will make the team and trigger that lost 2020 seventh round pick that was conditional in his trade, this was a good move by the Lions.