Detroit Lions veteran defender named team's biggest X-factor for 2024

One of the major focuses for the Detroit Lions and general manager Brad Holmes this offseason was to improve the cornerbacks room after the team had the sixth-worst pass defense in 2023.

In order to do that, the Lions traded for Carlton Davis, signed Amik Robertson, and drafted both Terrion Arnold and Ennis Rakestraw Jr. As a result of those moves, the arrow is pointing up for Detroit's pass defense in 2024.

In a recent article naming the X-factor for every team ahead of the upcoming season, Bleacher Report's Kristopher Knox named Davis for Detroit. Here's some of what he had to say:

Detroit threw some darts at the all-important cornerback position this offseason, trading for Carlton Davis and using its first two picks on Terrion Arnold and Ennis Rakestraw Jr. Davis, is obviously the veteran leader of the group and is widely expected to have a significant impact on the defense right away.

While the additions of Arnold and Rakestraw were excellent, they are still wild cards, as it's difficult to predict how a rookie will do in Year 1. That makes Davis, who will start on the boundary opposite Arnold, even more important than he is by default.

The veteran is coming off a down year in which he surrendered the third-worst completion rate (61.4%) and second-worst passer rating (96.1) of his career. Adding to that concern, Arnold also has a lengthy injury history and has never played a full season in his career.

So, while everything looks much better on paper for the Lions' cornerbacks situation, we can't say for sure that the team will be drastically improved at the position. The good news is, the bar isn't very high and the Lions have multiple darts to throw if things don't pan out initially.