Detroit Lions general manager Brad Holmes knew heading into NFL free agency that cornerback was a need area for the team.
Detroit did re-sign Emmanuel Moseley before free agency opened up. But this is a major area of concern for the defending NFC runner-ups.
On the first day of the legal NFL free agency tampering period, Holmes and Co. addressed this need big time.
According to NFL Media’s Tom Pelissero, the Lions have acquired veteran cornerback Carlton Davis from the Tampa Bay Buccaneers.
Davis, 27, was a second-round pick of the Buccaneers out of Auburn back in 2018. He has started 75 of the 76 games in which he’s appeared in six NFL seasons.
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Carlton Davis stats (2023): 52 tackles, 9 passes defended, 2 INT, 96.1 QB rating allowed
This past season saw Davis put up his worst performance since his rookie campaign back in 2018. In addition to yielding a 96.1 QB rating when targeted, he gave up a 61.4% completion.
The previous two seasons saw Davis yield a sub 58% completion with QB ratings of 83.2 and 82.8, respectively. He is certainly a starter-caliber cornerback.
Last season saw the Lions yield 28 passing touchdowns compared to 16 interceptions. Jerry Jacobs recorded three interceptions while yielding a 96.5 QB rating. Having signed from the Pittsburgh Steelers last offseason, Cameron Sutton gave up a 112.0 QB rating when targeted. Obviously, this was an area of utmost need.
As for what’s heading back to the Buccaneers in this trade, they net a third-round pick in 2024. The Detroit Lions acquire Davis as well as sixth-round picks in 2024 and 2025.