Lions trade for Carlton Davis gets fairly lame grade months afterward

The Detroit Lions took a second run at remodeling their cornerback depth chart this offseason. The first move in that effort was acquiring Carlton Davis from the Tampa Bay Buccaneers. They also got sixth-round picks this year and next in the deal, while sending a 2024 third-round pick to Tampa Bay.

Davis, as a top-notch man coverage corner, appears to be an ideal fit for what Lions defensive coordinator Aaron Glenn wants to do. There are durability concerns, as he has missed four of more games in three straight seasons. His level of play has fallen some in line with that, after he was second in the league in pass breakups in both 2019 and 2020.

Davis is in the final year of his contract, and a change of scenery is probably good for him. This, albeit with no football having been played yet, looks to be a good trade for both sides.

Late grade of Lions trade for Carlton Davis lands as lame

It's a practical requirement to grade trades immediately after they happen, and we certainly had a lofty one for the Davis trade from a Lions' angle. As training camps start around the league, Tony Catalina of Pro Football Network looked back at the offseason to grade the best and worst NFL trades.

Catalina has the Lions' trade for Davis among his five worst offseason trades, with a grade of C+. It is clearly a grade of the Lions' side of the deal.

"The Lions are a good football team that was close to a Super Bowl appearance last season. So, it makes sense for them to attack what many view as a weak spot by adding veteran CB Carlton Davis.

"However, Davis has been an oft-injured player over the last few years, and 2023 wasn’t his best statistical year."

"Maybe a change of scenery will do him good, but with Detroit’s approach to free agency and the draft, they may have been better served giving a younger guy a shot at winning a job."

Davis will turn 28 late in the coming season (Dec. 31), so any attempt to classify him as old is a reach. He's got experience, up to and including a Super Bowl ring, and the Lions needed someone with that kind of resume after things didn't quite work out in the rebuild of their cornerback depth chart the year before.

Davis has to play in games and remove the Cameron Sutton on-field PTSD from the psyche of Lions' fans. So it's fair to be a little skeptical of him until that happens, if it happens. But a C+ plus grade lands a little light compared to every other grade of the deal that has been done, when nothing meaningful has happened since it happened.