Following one of their most successful seasons in the Super Bowl era, the Detroit Lions have seen significant changes this offseason, as offensive coordinator Ben Johnson and defensive coordinator Aaron Glenn have both accepted head coaching positions.
In a matter of days, the Lions will experience modifications to their roster, as multiple players will enter the market when the new league year begins.
One of Detroit’s top veteran defenders, cornerback Carlton Davis, is among those getting ready to become a free agent next week. Notably, Sterling Xie from Pro Football Network recently forecasted that Davis will depart from the Lions this offseason and join the Green Bay Packers.
“Xie noted that Davis’ arrival would enhance a defense that climbed into the top 10 of PFSN’s Defense+ rankings last year.” “His acquisition carries some risk, given that he has never played every match and has been absent for 20 games in the last four seasons (including the end of 2024 due to a broken jaw).
Nonetheless, Davis permitted a career-low passer rating of 77.0 on the field in Detroit. He has maintained opponents at a passer rating below 90 in five of his six NFL seasons and allowed only a 55% completion rate when targeted in 2024.
Davis, 28, competed in college football at Auburn from 2015-17, achieving All-SEC and All-American accolades in his senior year, after which the Tampa Bay Buccaneers selected him in the second round of the 2018 NFL draft.
Davis became a starting cornerback in Tampa Bay during his rookie year, maintaining that position throughout his seven seasons with the team. He also assisted them in securing their second Super Bowl in franchise history.
During the previous offseason, the Buccaneers traded Davis to the Lions. He participated in 13 games for Detroit in 2024, and in 83% of the defensive plays during those games, he made 56 tackles (including two for a loss), defended 11 passes, and achieved two interceptions, two fumble recoveries, and forced one fumble.
Pro Football Focus assigned him an overall grade of 74.5 last year, placing him 29th among 223 eligible NFL cornerbacks. He earned a 60.0 pass-rush grade (55th), a 77.7 run-defense grade (26th), and a 72.1 coverage grade (38th).
The Packers are poised to let Robert Rochell and Corey Ballentine enter free agency, making the signing of Davis a move that could strengthen their secondary.
Nonetheless, losing Davis would be a setback for the Lions, and losing him to the Packers would be even more detrimental. They would be wiser to allocate some of that $51 million in cap space (according to Over the Cap) to re-sign him and prevent him from joining their competitors.
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