In what has been one of their most successful seasons in the Super Bowl er, the Detroit Lions are facing a lot of changes this offseason. After the departures of both offensive coordinator Ben Johnson and defensive coordinator Aaron Glenn, who have both moved on to become head coaches, the team will now see roster changes as well. Several key players will be hitting the market when the new league year begins in just a few days.
One of the most notable players set to become a free agent is Carlton Davis, one of Detroit’s top veteran defenders. According to Sterling Xie of Pro Football Network, there’s a strong chance Davis could leave the Lions this offseason, with the Green Bay Packers emerging as a potential destination.
Xie explained, “Davis’ arrival would boost a defense that ascended into the top 10 of PFSN’s Defense+ rankings last year.” However, Xie also pointed out some risk in the move, saying, “His signing wouldn’t come without risk, as he has never played every game and missed 20 games the past four seasons (including the end of 2024 with a broken jaw).”
That said, Davis put up impressive numbers with the Lions, allowing a career-low passer rating of 77.0. “He’s held opponents to a sub-90 passer rating in five of his six NFL seasons and gave up just a 55% completion rate when targeted in 2024,” Xie continued.
The 28-year-old Davis played his college football at Auburn from 2015 to 2017, earning All-SEC and All-American honors before being drafted by the Tampa Bay Buccaneers in the second round of the 2018 NFL Draft. He immediately took on a starting role with the Bucs, a position he maintained throughout his seven seasons with the team. Davis also played a crucial part in helping Tampa Bay secure their second Super Bowl title.
Last offseason, the Buccaneers traded Davis to the Lions, where he continued to make an impact. He appeared in 13 games during the 2024 season, playing 83% of Detroit’s defensive snaps. His stats for the season included 56 tackles, 11 passes defensed, two interceptions, two fumbles recovered, and one forced fumble. Pro Football Focus gave him a solid 74.5 overall grade, ranking him 29th out of 223 qualified NFL cornerbacks. His pass-rush grade was 60.0, his run-defense grade was 77.7, and his coverage grade stood at 72.1.
With the Packers set to have Robert Rochell and Corey Ballentine become free agents, adding Davis could significantly strengthen their secondary. However, losing him would be a huge blow for the Lions, especially if he ends up with a divisional rival like the Packers. With over $51 million in cap space, according to Over the Cap, Detroit would be wise to consider using some of that flexibility to re-sign Davis and prevent him from joining their competitors.
