Lions roster preview: What will Carlton Davis III do for Detroit’s defense?

As we head toward a new season, All Lions is looking at each member of the 53-man roster to recap their 2023-24 season and look ahead to the upcoming campaign. Today, we focus on cornerback Carlton Davis III. Check out our past stories on each member of the offense , punter Jack Fox , the plan at kicker , the defensive linemen , the linebackers and safeties .

The Detroit Lions’ top priority this offseason was upgrading the secondary, specifically at cornerback. They did that via trade, free agency and the draft.

Carlton Davis III was the first domino, coming over from Tampa Bay along with a pair of sixth-round picks in exchange for a third-round pick.

Regardless of what you think of the cost to acquire the 27-year-old, who has one year and around $14.5 million left on his contract, he’s a veteran with nine games of postseason experience and a Super Bowl win under his belt over the past four years. That’s experience Detroit doesn’t otherwise have.

There is some reason to be concerned about how Davis might contribute. He’s missed multiple games due to injury every season, including five last year due to a concussion as well as toe and groin injuries, and hasn’t played more than 14 regular-season games ever.

Additionally, Pro Football Focus doesn’t grade him particularly high. Last year, Davis received a 63.1 overall grade, which was 68th out of 127 qualifying cornerbacks, as well as a 55.8 pass-rush grade (70th), a 63.3 coverage grade (68th), a 66.7 run defense grade (64th) and a 43.3 tackling grade (104th).

As for the stats, Davis gave up:

• 51 catches (22nd-most among corners) on 79 targets (26th-most)
• A 64.6% reception rate (61st-highest among corners)
• 776 yards (7th-most among corners)
• 15.2 yards per catch (11th-highest among corners)
• 5 touchdowns (tied for 14th-most among corners)
• A 107.4 passer rating when targeted (28th-highest among corners)

Those numbers, plus his 15.5% missed tackle rate, the 45th-highest among corners, aren’t great. However, the reception rate allowed wasn’t bad, and Davis also had:

• 2 interceptions (tied for 19th-most among corners)
• 7 pass breakups (tied for 27th-most among corners)
• 44 tackles (tied for 51st among corners)
• 17 stops — tackles constituting a “failure” on offense (35th-most among corners)

The other good news is that when it mattered most, Davis showed up.

Even despite having his lowest-graded overall and coverage season of his career, he was great during the playoffs.

Over the first two rounds of the postseason, Davis posted a 76.2 overall grade (tied for fourth-among corners), a 78.1 coverage grade (tied for fifth among corners), a 71.9 run defense grade (tied for seventh among corners) and an 82.5 tackling grade (fifth-best among corners).

With more quality options in the cornerback room this season, Detroit will be able to live with another regular-season like 2023 from Davis if he can stay healthy and perform like he can in the playoffs. That’s ultimately why Davis was acquired, and if his veteran presence can help accelerate the growth of the younger guys, too, a third-round pick will be well-worth the price for the veteran.