Carlton Davis: Lions getting a 'lockdown corner' who can take away No. 1 receivers

The Detroit Lions made Carlton Davis III the centerpiece of their secondary revamp, finalizing a trade with the Tampa Bay Buccaneers for the corner.

The 27-year-old said on Wednesday he’s the shutdown corner the Lions have been looking for.

“You about to get a lockdown corner,” he said, via Dave Birkett of the Detroit Free Press. “You about to be able to have one side just like unavailable. That’s what I do. I’m here to take your No. 1 receiver on any team, I’m here to deny the ball, I’m here to take the ball away.”

Best in man coverage, Davis immediately upgrades a Lions unit that struggled to slow opponents last season. A Super Bowl champion who can take on top receivers, Davis has generated nine career interceptions with 73 passes defensed. However, health is a concern. The corner missed five games last season due to injury. In six years with Tampa, he never played a full season.

When on the field, Davis remains a stellar coverage man, able to stick with wideouts and reliable on the outside. Yet, he’s coming off a down season, allowing a 64.6 completion percentage and 15.2 yards per catch, per Pro Football Focus. If injuries strike again, it will look like a redux of the Lions’ plans to fix the secondary last season.

The Bucs’ willingness to trade Davis was less talent than financial. The Lions take on a $14 million salary for 2024, the final year of the corner’s contract. Davis said he is open to an extension but wants to get his “feet wet” with the club before getting into those discussions.

“This is a great organization,” he said “It’s trending upward, so I would love to be a part of a dynasty where we can go win multiple championships over the next couple of years. That’s one of my goals is to create something that is kind of like the Lakers, is kind of like what all the dynasties did back in the day, Chicago Bulls. I think they have a nice young roster, great coaching staff, great culture here to do it. Honestly, even when we won it back in Tampa, you just kind of see the same similarities here but younger players here so it’s a lot of growth.”

Davis’ addition brings much-needed experience to the Lions’ corner crew, but it’s still a position Detroit should look to the draft to build out.