The Detroit Lions went into the offseason needing to beef up their cornerbacks room after finishing with the sixth-worst pass defense in the NFL in 2023, and they began that process by trading with the Tampa Bay Buccaneers for veteran cornerback Carlton Davis.
The trade turned out to be even more important after the team released fellow veteran cornerback Cameron Sutton due to his legal issues. Then, in April, the Lions added a pair of cornerbacks in the 2024 NFL Draft in Terrion Arnold and Ennis Rakestraw Jr.
As far as the trade is concerned, Tom Blair of NFL.com believes Davis will be one of the most impactful players among those who were traded during the offseason, ranking him No. 7 on a list of 10.
Here’s Blair’s thoughts:
It was only two years ago that Davis commanded an extension from the Bucs. It’s true that he failed to reach double digits in passes defensed last season (nine) for the first time since 2018, and Pro Football Focus gave him the worst defensive grade (58.2) of his career. He also missed significant time with injury. But Davis is still just 27, and it wouldn’t be surprising if the self-described “lockdown corner” helped rookies Terrion Arnold and Ennis Rakestraw Jr. boost a Lions pass defense that ranked 27th in 2023.
While Davis isn’t considered a true lockdown corner, he is certainly an upgrade over Sutton, who posted worse numbers in coverage in 2023.
Adding to that, the former Buccaneer gives the Lions a veteran presence with a Super Bowl ring in what is now a very young cornerbacks room following the additions of Rakestraw and Arnold.
It remains to be seen if the Lions will try to keep the 27-year-old around for the long haul, as he’s on the final year of his deal. Not doing so would hurt a bit since Detroit gave up a third-round pick for Davis, but it was a move the team had to make ahead of a season in which the Lions have Super Bowl aspirations.
