Nickell

Robey-Coleman

Detroit refused to let the 29-year-old walk away without a contract upon visiting. He appeared in 15 games for Philadelphia last year, registering one pass defense and 44 tackles. Both he and Quinton Dunbar are expected to add veteran presences (and snaps) to the Lions’ secondary as immediate role players in Week 1.

Robey-Coleman appeared in 15 games for the Eagles last year and logged seven starts. He registered one pass defense and 44 tackles in Philadelphia. Primarily a slot corner, Robey-Coleman will immediately take on a significant role in Detroit’s secondary if he joins them. No unit allowed quarterbacks to average more yards per pass attempt (8.2) than the Lions last year. Detroit previously signed Quinton Dunbar in free agency. Adding Robey-Coleman to the mix would help push them beyond league-bottom, but this still projects to be a team that is preyed upon through the air.

Adam Schefter also reported that a practice squad player was placed on the reserve/COVID-19 list. The Eagles will still have Darius Saly to cover Terry McLaurin but the loss of Robey-Coleman will make it more difficult to keep McLaurin contained for four quarters. In a must-win game for Washington and a meaningless game for Philadelphia, expect McLaurin to return to the field with solid WR2 numbers to close out the regular season.

This another big get for the Eagles’ secondary. After acquiring stud boundary corner Darius Slay from the Lions, Philly now adds slot man Robey-Coleman, who was Pro Football Focus’ No. 19 cover corner out of 128 qualifiers last season. Robey-Coleman is tiny at 5'8/180, but he uses every bit of his size and plays really strong run defense on the inside on top of his cover skills. The Eagles’ back end has gotten much stronger with the additions of Slay and NRC.

It’s purely a financial move on the cap-strapped Rams’ behalf, as Robey-Coleman remained one of the league’s better slot corners in 2019. He is unlikely to be on the market long. Robey-Coleman turned 28 in January.

The Rams would save $4 million from Robey-Coleman’s release. 2019 wasn’t a bad year for Coleman, but he’s a replaceable slot corner. The Rams have Darious Williams and third-rounder David Long behind Jalen Ramsey and Troy Hill.

The Rams slot corner will reportedly appeal the fine. This will do little to satisfy Saints fans as Robey-Coleman should have been flagged both for an illegal hit and pass interference on a play that likely cost New Orleans its shot at playing in Super Bowl LIII. By fining Robey-Coleman, the league is essentially admitting fault on one of the most egregious missed calls in recent memory. The Saints had their chances to put the Rams away on Sunday, but if the correct call had been made, New Orleans would likely be preparing to face New England right now.

Robey-Coleman was one of the better corners in the league the first six weeks of the season, according to Pro Football Focus, but his play has slipped the past month. The Bills were using him to cover Rob Gronkowski and Jimmy Graham at times over their last two games, and obviously the 5'8/165 Robey-Coleman didn’t stand a chance. Kevon Seymour (6'/185) will replace him.

Robey-Coleman picked off two passes against the Rams, returning one 41 yards for the go-ahead touchdown. The Bills’ slot corner, Robey-Coleman has been lockdown so far this season. Quarterbacks have a passer rating of 16.7 when targeting him. That’s best among all cornerbacks. Robey-Coleman will be tasked with shutting down Jeremy Kerley this week.

The Vikings are looking for deals on second-wave defensive backs, also talking to Lardarius Webb. The Vikes need a new man in the slot, and though undersized, Robey-Coleman has often played above-average ball as a nickel back. He would be a nice replacement for fellow-undersized slot CB Captain Munnerlyn.