Carlton Davis confirmed as incoming tone setter for Lions' secondary

The Detroit Lions started their offseason overhaul of their cornerback depth chart by acquiring Carlton Davis from the Tampa Bay Buccaneers. His numbers in man coverage have been top-notch, which seems to be fit exactly what defensive coordinator Aaron Glenn would like to do schematically.

Davis called himself a "lockdown corner", and Bengals' wide receiver Ja'Marr Chase would likely agree. He's also got experience that will be valuable after the Lions used their first two draft picks on cornerbacks.

To that end, via Pride of Detroit, first-round pick Terrion Arnold noted how Davis reached out to him fairly quickly.

"Happy we got guys like Carlton Davis,” Arnold said. “Just even him reaching out to me, and winning two Super Bowls, and coming in here and just being someone that can teach me how to be a pro.”

Carlton Davis further confirmed as incoming tone setter for Lions' secondary

Tom Blair of NFL.com had Davis on his list of 10 traded players who will have the biggest impact on the 2024 season (at No. 7, for whatever it's worth).

"It was only two years ago that Davis commanded an extension from the Bucs. It's true that he failed to reach double digits in passes defensed last season (nine) for the first time since 2018, and Pro Football Focus gave him the worst defensive grade (58.2) of his career. He also missed significant time with injury. But Davis is still just 27, and it wouldn't be surprising if the self-described "lock-down corner" helped rookies Terrion Arnold and Ennis Rakestraw Jr. boost a Lions pass defense that ranked 27th in 2023."

Missed time due to injury is definite thing attached to Davis that can't be ignored. He missed five games last season, and he has missed at least two games in all six of his NFL seasons. That's the root of the case that the Buccaneers won't miss him, should someone want to go that way,

As much as Davis should have a tangible impact on the Lions' secondary this season, his influence off the field could be just as impactful as Arnold and Rakestraw start their careers. Arnold said he talked to Davis, but Davis presumably reached out to Rakestraw to start forging that relationship too.