2025 Lions free agent profile: Carlton Davis is Detroit’s best option to stabilize CB position

Our 2025 Detroit Lions free agent series continues. We’re breaking down each and every single decision the team must make with their pending free agent class ahead of this offseason including what their expectations were coming into the 2024 season, how they performed, and ultimately their chances of returning to Detroit for the next season.

Next up in the series is a player who stepped up into the No. 1 cornerback role and made a big difference for a cornerback room that was mostly young and inexperienced in 2024: Carlton Davis.

Here’s a look at our previously-written free agent profiles: WR Tim Patrick, G Kevin Zeitler, DT Kyle Peko, and LB Derrick Barnes.

Carlton Davis

Expectations heading into 2024

At the beginning of last year’s free agency, Detroit made it clear they were going back to the drawing board when it came to the cornerback position. In that initial wave of free agent frenzy, Detroit worked the phones and traded a 2024 third-round pick for Carlton Davis and additional draft compensation in return.

In Detroit trading for Davis, it seemed like the Lions had learned Cam Sutton wasn’t quite cut out to be the team’s No. 1 corner after his first season with the Lions was an up-and-down experience at best—Sutton finished with the 22nd-worst passer rating against in coverage (113.9) among 135 qualifying cornerbacks. The Lions completed the trade for Davis on March 11, but a little over a week later, we’d learn that Sutton had been charged with domestic battery for an incident that took place on March 7, which would then lead to the Lions releasing him on March 21.

Davis had been a vital piece to the Tampa Bay Buccaneers defense, but after making financial commitments to players like Mike Evans and Baker Mayfield before the start of free agency—and franchise tagging Antoine Winfield Jr., who would end up becoming the highest-paid defensive back in NFL history later in the offseason—Davis was the odd man out.

But the Buccaneers loss seemed to be the Lions gain considering the kind of talent they were getting in Davis. Despite the Bucs running a lot of Cover 3 under Todd Bowles, Davis had proven himself to be adept in man coverage when given the opportunity—and a plus-defender against the run, two very coveted skills in Aaron Glenn’s defense. Since 2020, Davis put up impressive numbers when in man coverage:

• 48.3% completion rate allowed
• 24.8% forced incompletion rate
• 72.4 passer rating allowed
• 4 interceptions vs. 5 touchdowns allowed

And maybe most importantly, he had established himself as a true No. 1 cornerback capable of handling those tough assignments.

Injuries, however, were the big question mark. Since signing a three-year, $45 million deal in 2022, Davis played in just 25 of 34 regular season games, and he hadn’t played more than 14 games in an NFL season since being drafted in 2018. Even with that spotty record of availability, the Lions need for a No. 1 corner was enough to justify the cost of acquiring Davis. It proved even more valuable after Detroit drafted both Terrion Arnold and Ennis Rakestraw, two young cornerbacks the team could now afford to bring along at their own pace with a trusted veteran like Davis in the room.

Actual role in 2024

Note: PFF grades combine regular season and playoffs and reflect a minimum 20% snaps at that position

13 games (13 starts): 56 tackles, 2 TFL, 2 interceptions, 11 passes defended, 2 fumble recoveries—697 snaps (t-31st out of 222 cornerbacks)
PFF Defensive grade: 74.5
PFF Run Defense grade: 77.7 (20th out of 115)
PFF Coverage grade: 72.1
PFF Tackling grade: 64.4 (49th out of 128)

Davis came into Allen Park and immediately established himself as the top outside corner for the Lions. He was the physical type of player Detroit’s defense needed to man up against the top receivers, and by halfway through the season, Dan Campbell was reflecting on how important of a move it was to bring him in.

“That’s been an outstanding addition,” Campbell said after Week 10’s game against the Houston Texans. “And as a matter of fact, I told him Saturday night, we’re in the special teams meeting, I slip right behind him—I think I said this yesterday, I said, ‘Man, one of the best moves we made was acquiring you, getting you here.’ And there is nothing better than a cover corner who runs, hits, tackles, fills the run, no fear, and then you see what he’s able to do with those takeaways yesterday.”

A non-negotiable characteristic for cornerbacks and a hallmark of defenses under Aaron Glenn is the emphasis placed on stopping the run. Davis finished fifth among 115 qualifying cornerbacks in run-stop rate (5.1%), t-11th in total run stops (11), and t-28th in total tackles in run defense (15). Davis checked all the boxes when it came to being a physical corner who made a difference in defending the run, and his presence in this respect was certainly missed after a fractured jaw suffered in Week 15 against the Buffalo Bills ended his season.

With that physical brand of play come some penalties, and while there were some penalty flags thrown along the way—Davis was t-18th in penalties among corners—all of those flags happened before Week 8, including four flags thrown against him in Week 4 against the Seattle Seahawks in which he went toe-to-toe with DK Metcalf.

Outlook for 2025

Contract status: Unrestricted free agent

After finishing out the final year of his three-year, $44.5 million deal in Detroit, Davis is set to enter free agency in the prime of his career at age 28.

Pros of re-signing

Bringing Davis back to Detroit accomplishes two important things. One, it provides stability for a cornerback room that’s had a rotating cast of players pass through its door. Two, it gives them a player they can say with certainty is going to be the guy, the No. 1 cornerback, come September. Could Arnold be that guy someday? Absolutely, and the Lions are counting on him to be that guy at some point in his career, but do we know that right now? Was there enough from Arnold’s rookie season to say he’s ready for that role and those expectations in Year 2?

Re-signing Davis assuages those concerns and reaffirms the depth at cornerback from top to bottom in Detroit. It also provides those young players like Arnold and Rakestraw a veteran to lean on and learn from.

“And he is good for that room, he is a veteran guy, he’s a guy who’s been around it for a while,” Campbell said about Davis in November of last year. “There are things that he understands and can kind of help the young guys with technique-wise or things that you see when it comes to game planning.”

Cons of re-signing

If the Lions feel comfortable with their current situation at corner—starting the trio of Arnold, Rakestraw, and Amik Robertson in some configuration—re-signing Davis could end up being detrimental from a developmental standpoint. Davis would likely end up blocking Rakestraw’s path to opportunities on the field, but that cost would be twofold considering the price tag of re-signing Davis.

There’s also the concern about injuries and whether or not Davis can stay on the field. Of course, those worries are mitigated a bit with the Lions depth at the position, but assuming the sort of money a player like Davis would command, it’s fair to wonder if that sort of luxury spending could be allocated elsewhere on the roster.

Is there interest from both sides?

During Brad Holmes season-ending press conference on January 23, the Lions general manager echoed the praise from Campbell about the level of play and contributions of Davis during his first season in Detroit.

“… I thought we got very good play from him [Davis]. I will be honest, I thought that he played better this year than he did the year before, that last year in Tampa, and he’ll tell you that too. But I thought we got what we wanted to get. Obviously, unfortunate that we had to lose him and be without, but we’re aware of not only just Carlton, (Lions G Kevin) Zeitler, but we’re aware of a lot of other guys that are either on expiring contracts that had good contributions to our team this year, or guys that are worthy for an extension or in consideration for an extension. So, no intense action yet, but we’re very aware of it and we’ll go through our normal process.”

As far as Davis’ interest, there were some comments he made at his introductory press conference back in March of last year where he noted his intrigue the direction the Lions were headed in as an organization.

“This is a great organization that’s trending upward, so I would love to be part of a dynasty where we can go and win multiple championships over the next couple of years, that’s one of our goals,” Davis said about his goals for his time in Detroit.

Those type of comments suggest that Davis was envisioning a long-term fit with him in Detroit’s quest for championships—plural—but we’re nearly a year removed from those comments, so it’s hard to say if Davis is still feeling the same way after the team fell short in the playoffs—albeit without him in the lineup.

Cost?

It would be reasonable for Davis to be seeking some financial security with a longer-term deal at 28 years old. It could very well be his last chance at cashing in on a bigger contract at this point in his career, but there are those lingering concerns about durability. He hasn’t played more than 13 games in a season since 2020, so it’s a bit difficult to project how that might play a factor into how teams value the veteran cornerback.

Last year, L’Jarius Sneed signed a four-year, $76.4 million deal at 27 years old, but that was the first contract beyond his rookie deal. He had played 48 of 51 regular season games since 2021 at a fairly high level, and it was the Tennessee Titans who made that move, so that feels worth mentioning given their recent track record with contracts. A recent deal that could be comparable is the one Darius Slay signed after being traded from Detroit to Philadelphia. Slay signed a three-year, $50 million deal with roughly $26 million in guarantees at age 29.

If Davis is truly motivated by competing for championships, Detroit is set up to be that team for the next few years. A deal in the neighborhood of three years and between $45 and $50 million seems like a fair deal for both parties, but the list of cornerbacks available in free agency this year could easily drive up the price for Davis.

Conclusion

The Detroit Lions still have some uncertainty at cornerback for a third straight offseason, but the challenges are different from last year. Instead of replacing key players, Holmes and Co. have the next month to evaluate the in-house talent before making a decision of how to move forward.

The key question in all of this is whether or not Arnold is ready to be the top corner or if re-signing Davis, despite his injury history, is necessary. Robertson showed that potential to play outside, and Rakestraw has that potential to take over in the slot, but both of their roles remain unclear. If Detroit lets Davis walk, replacing a true CB1 in free agency will be difficult, as top-tier corners rarely hit the market. Options like D.J. Reed or Charvarius Ward would be costly, and Rasul Douglas at 30 doesn’t seem like an upgrade. Ultimately, despite durability concerns, Davis might be the best option to stabilize the cornerback position for 2025.

Poll

What should the Lions do with Carlton Davis?

• 71%

  Re-sign him for a market-level deal

  (5 votes)

• 28%

  Let him walk

  (2 votes)

7 votes total

Vote Now