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Lions lost free agent review: A'Shawn RobinsonZack Moran
March 5, 2021 7:15 am
With the season behind us, we can now measure the performance of each of the players the Lions lost last year and the players they brought in to replace them. We would look at if the Lions were in the right or the wrong end of the free-agent class last year. If you missed it, here are the ones we have hit on so far: Graham Glasgow, Devon Kennard. This time we’ll be highlighting the loss of A’Shawn Robinson.
The Lions went through an almost complete rehaul of their defensive line last year. Outside of Trey Flowers, the defensive line was going to unrecognizable to the 2019 squad, who had a down year compared to the impressive 2018 season when the Lions had one of the better run defenses in the league.
Robinson had become a fan favorite due to his tough streak, versatility, and the fact that he looked 10 years older than he really was. He started slowly in his rookie season, but he found his footing in 2017, where he went on to play 68% of the team’s defensive snaps, notching a career-high 27 total pressures and added a pick-six for good measure.
Things were looking up for the young defensive tackle showing he could become a catalyst in the trenches until Matt Patricia came into town. Even though Robinson saw one of the best pro seasons in 2018, earning accolades as a superior run defender, he saw his snaps almost cut in half and only started 16 games in 2018 and 2019.
The Lions decided to go a different direction this past year and not retain the man-child behemoth. Instead, Robinson signed with the Los Angeles Rams for 2 years and $17 million to play along with the NFL’s best defensive tackle, Aaron Donald.
Later it turned out Patricia and Robinson didn’t quite see eye to eye. The generally silent Robinson went on Twitter calling out the former Lions coach.
Sadly, Robinson dealt with a cardiovascular condition that left him sidelined for half the season. When he returned, he only averaged about 15 snaps a game and notched a career-low 13 tackles. In the playoffs, he a little rejuvenation recording six tackles and a forced fumble.
It is hard to say if Robinson would’ve found success with another stint in Detroit, especially with how poor the defense played in 2020, but what it mostly looks like is he had no ambition to stay with Patricia at the helm.
With Detroit cleaning house on the defensive line, they needed to find someone who could play the multiple roles Robinson used to fill. They didn’t have to look any further than their own division signing former Chicago Bear Nick Williams to 2 years and $10 million contract.
At this point in his career in 2019, Williams had a hard time finding his foot in the NFL, playing mostly part-time roles with the Kansas City Chiefs and the Chicago Bears. When Akiem Hicks landed on injured reserve, the Bears called Williams’ number, and he stepped up to the plate playing in all 16 games and racked up 42 tackles, nine quarterback hits, and six sacks in 2019.
With an impressive year, Detroit was hoping to bring that success to their defense. Williams had the versatility to play anywhere on the defensive line and pass rush and run defend, unlike Robinson, who was mostly a run-stuffer by trade. On the flip side, though, they were getting a player that is five years older than Robinson and only a year of true production; some saw this as overpay.
Williams went to play in 14 games and nearly half of Detroit’s defensive snaps, tallying 16 tackles and one sack in 2020, not exactly what Detroit was hoping for from one of their top free-agent signings. Still, then again, Detroit’s 2020 defense was horrendous. He did grade out at the Lions ninth-best defender according to PFF, and he did bring a better pressure aspect than Robinson, but he only had three more tackles than Robinson, and he missed half the season.
Surely, Detroit was banking how Da’Shawn Hand to fill in those missing pieces, but once again, he found issues with staying healthy. Outside of his stellar rookie season, Hand has found quite a few issues on staying on the field with a multitude of injuries that has landed him on injured reserve every year of his career.
Also, the Lions tagged Jashon Cornell in the seventh round in 2020 to repair the dismantled defensive line and maybe supplement in the vacated spot. Still, he suffered an Achilles injury in training camp before Detroit knew what they hand.
Williams played admirably last year in Detroit, especially with a non-friendly defensive scheme, but with a new regime in place, it is hard to see if he makes it back on the team. With how close Detroit is to the cap, Williams’ cut almost seems inevitable, clearing $4.7 million in cap room. He would be a nice depth piece, but the production and salary make this an easy decision for general manager Brad Holmes.
On the other end, Robinson’s future is up in the air as well with the Rams. He currently carries a $5.25 million cap hit, but the team can save $3.75 million if released with a post-June 1 designation. The Rams could do some cap magic and try to hold to Robinson on a lower price, but they are currently in the hole about $35 million, thanks in large part to Jared Goff’s dead cap hit, so it wouldn’t be a surprise if they move on from Robinson.
With the bad blood between Patricia and Robinson probably being the ultimate decider in Robinson’s departure, it was best for both parties to go their separate ways. Robinson suffered a serious cardiovascular issue, so we cannot completely measure how effective Robinson was with the Rams, but he did show some flashes in the playoffs.
On paper, the Lions tried their best in replacing him with Williams, who came off a career year and could fill in all over the defensive line. It looked like an underrated move to kick off the season. Disappointingly, the scheme wanted their defensive tackles to clog the lanes and contain instead of pressure which was Williams’ specialty, and it clearly did him no favors.
With the case of Robinson’s health and Williams’ status with the new regime, hard to pinpoint if the Lions made the right move or the wrong move. We will be able to tell when the new league year starts later this month.
