Silver Minings: Is Amik Robertson ready to be starting nickel cornerback?

In the aftermath of the report that the Las Vegas Raiders will cut starting slot cornerback Lamarcus Joyner. The Athletic looks at the team’s need there.

The report reasons that second-year nickel cornerback Amik Robertson may not be ready for a greater role. Robertson, a fourth-round pick in 2020, played just 35 defensive snaps as a rookie and struggled when he was on the field.

Raiders’ general manager Mike Mayock pointed out that Robertson was one of the rookies who was hurt from a lack of an offseason because he was moving from an outside cornerback in college to the slot in the NFL.

In my opinion, the Raiders must see Robertson take the next step this offseason and become a key part of the secondary. They can’t afford to spend money on a veteran slot cornerback. They need their young players to develop. Robertson was drafted to become a regular in his second season and it will be a blow to the team if he doesn’t make big strides in 2021.

In other Raiders’ links:

• Big COVID hit: The Raiders lost more key players to the coronavirus last season than any team in the NFL.
• Key free agents: NFL Media has a list of some free agents who may score big.
• A Bradley player hitting the market: Chargers’ linebacker Denzel Perryman, who played for new Raiders’ defensive coordinator Gus Bradley, will hit the open market.