Carlton Davis: What the Lions are getting in their new CB

Breaking down the scouting report on new Lions CB Carlton Davis with Russell Brown

While the fanbase of the Detroit Lions grew impatient for some type of signing on the first day of the legal tampering period in the NFL, they made a significant splash. However, this splash wasn’t a free agent signing. Instead, this was a trade with the Tampa Bay Buccaneers that sent cornerback Carlton Davis to the Lions.

So what are the Lions getting with cornerback Carlton Davis?

For starters, they’re getting a pair of 6th round picks in the 2024 and 2025 NFL Drafts. Brad Holmes did it again šŸ™‚

As for Davis, he’s a long and athletic corner that’s physical. He’ll matchup well with bigger receivers. In addition to that, he’s solid in man coverage. Last season, he allowed a 60% completion percentage, zero touchdowns and a 75.1 passer rating when targeted, per PFF. This earned him a 68.8 PFF grade in man coverage. Last season, nobody played more man coverage snaps than Cam Sutton did for the Lions. On paper, this could bode well for Davis, Sutton and the Lions defense as a whole.

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Additionally, Davis had 9 pass breakups and two interceptions last season. While I’ll need to get into the tape to confirm, he only missed 4 tackles last season as well. Getting a good tackler on the perimeter is important for most teams in the NFL, especially the Lions.

With the Lions being a heavy Cover-1 man defense and a Cover-3 zone defense, it’s important to get another cornerback that can do both. Davis is technically sound in both man and zone coverage. His physicality should be felt when pressing receivers and when playing through the hands of the receiver.

This season, Davis will be playing on the final year of his 3-year contract extension from the 2022 season. He will carry a $14.5 million dollar cap hit. If all goes right with production and health (missed 16 games in three seasons), the Lions could look into giving the 27-year old cornerback a contract extension.

It’ll be interesting to see if the Lions end up selecting a cornerback in the 2024 NFL Draft. I’d have to think this move eliminates selecting one early in the draft but they should still consider one with one of their four picks on day three of the draft. For now, this should be a trade that gets Lions fans excited.

Trade alert: Lions make a deal for Buccaneers CB Carlton Davis

Davis has started 75 games in six seasons in Tampa Bay and is under contract through 2024

Ladies and gentlemen, we have a trade!

The Detroit Lions have traded a third-round pick in the 2024 NFL draft to the Tampa Bay Buccaneers. In exchange for the pick, Detroit will receive starting cornerback Carlton Davis, a 2024 sixth-round pick and a 2025 sixth-round pick.

It’s a move that brings instant stability and credibility to the Lions at the outside cornerback position. Davis, 27, has started 75 games for Tampa Bay over the last six seasons.

The 6-foot-1 Davis is entering the final year of his contract. He is due $14.5 million for 2024 and will be an unrestricted free agent after the season unless the Lions agree to a contract extension.

Detroit held two picks in the third round and is sending their own pick, No. 61 overall, to the Buccaneers in the deal. The Lions will keep Minnesota’s pick at No. 73 overall from the T.J. Hockenson trade. Tampa Bay has two sixth-round picks in 2024 and it is not yet clear which of those conveys to Detroit in the trade.

Potential Lions trade target: Browns CB Greg Newsome II

The Cleveland Browns have an abundance of outside CBs, and one might be available in a trade. Could the Lions make a move?

The Cleveland Browns have a strange surplus of starting cornerbacks. Their abundance could be a potential solution for the Detroit Lions and their stark lack of overall talent and depth at outside corner.

The Browns could be looking to move one of their trio of starting-caliber cornerbacks. Writing for The Washington Post, Jason La Canfora noted:

“Multiple GMs said the Cleveland Browns made it clear they are open to dealing one of their top cornerbacks as they try to balance salaries after years of heavy spending.”

The Browns have three premium CBs: Denzel Ward, Martin Emerson and Greg Newsome II. All three are outside cornerbacks by nature. The one to focus on for potential Lions trade purposes is Newsome, who is entering his fourth season and due a new contract after the year if the Browns choose not to exercise his fifth-year option.

This was a popular discussion point at the NFL Scouting Combine, with Newsome the most likely candidate to bring back anything worthwhile in return for Cleveland. The 2021 first-rounder from Northwestern has been forced to play inside in the slot and has struggled compared to how well he performed earlier in his career while aligning outside. He’s not exactly endeared himself to the Browns fan baseĀ either.

If the Lions are interested, it goes beyond simply trading a draft pick or two to the Browns to acquire the 23-year-old Newsome. Detroit would also need to sign him to a new contract. Those salary negotiations would figure to begin at the fifth-year option value of $13.37 million as a base price per year.

Hypothetical deal

The Lions send No. 73 overall in the 2024 NFL draft and a 2025 fourth-round pick to the Browns for Newsome.

Detroit signs Newsome to a three-year, $41.5 million contract with $22.5 million guaranteed. That figure is above what Over The Cap currently projects as Newsome’s value but is commensurate with the rate for a starting outside cornerback in free agency.

Lions among teams interested in a L’Jarius Sneed trade

Lions among teams expressing interest with the Chiefs in a L’Jarius Sneed trade, per USA TODAY

It’s all just talk now, but there is more evidence that there could be some fire to the trade smoke involving the Detroit Lions and Kansas City Chiefs.

USA TODAY confirmed the Lions are among a handful of teams that have expressed interest with the Chiefs in a potential trade for cornerback L’Jarius Sneed.

A person with direct knowledge of the situation told USA TODAY Sports that the Minnesota Vikings, Indianapolis Colts, Tennessee Titans, New England Patriots, Detroit Lions, Atlanta Falcons and Jacksonville Jaguars have expressed interest in the Chiefs corner.

The Chiefs placed the non-exclusive franchise tag on Sneed, which allows for the top-notch corner to work out a trade to another team.

Titans suggested as potential trade partner for 2 Broncos players

The Titans were suggested as a potential trade partner for two different Broncos players.

The Tennessee Titans are in the market for offensive line and wide receiver help in 2024 as the team begins its rebuild, which will be centered around quarterback Will Levis.

While Tennessee’s entire offensive line was bad in 2023, the left tackle position was no doubt the worst of the bunch. Adding to that, Titans wide receivers not named DeAndre Hopkins struggled mightily to get open.

Knowing all this, it comes as no surprise there is no shortage of speculation involving the Titans and wide receivers and offensive linemen who may be available this offseason, whether that be through free agency or trade.

In two separate articles, the Titans were pegged as a potential trade partner with the Denver Broncos for a left tackle and wide receiver. Let’s take a look at both scenarios and what we think about each one.

Lions should have real interest in Eagles’ desire to trade EDGE Haason Reddick

Lions should have real interest in the Eagles’ desire to trade EDGE Haason Reddick, but there are complicating factors in making it happen

Last night’s Super Bowl officially ended the 2023 season. It’s time now for free agency and the draft, and loading up the Detroit Lions for another deep playoff run, hopefully one that culminates in playing in next year’s final game.

There’s another way to add impact talent to the roster: trades. And the Philadelphia Eagles have created an opportunity for the Lions to answer one of their biggest questions on defense.

The Eagles have given permission to edge rusher Haason Reddick to seek a trade. Reddick has hit double figures in sacks in each of the last four seasons, with 11 in 2023 after 16 in his fantastic 2022 campaign. The two-time Pro Bowler is one of the most consistent stand-up pass rushers in the league.

Yes, the Lions should have interest in trading for Reddick. But it’s not as simple as GM Brad Holmes calling up his Eagles counterpart, Howie Roseman, and snatching away a good starter for nothing.

First, there’s the matter of salary. Reddick is due $15.5 million in the final year of the three-year, $45 million contract he signed with the Eagles in 2022. There’s also a $1 million roster bonus due on March 15 that likely serves as an unofficial deadline for the Eagles to get a trade done.

The Lions can readily absorb the $15.5 million hit. But one of the reasons the Eagles are prepared to move on is because Reddick, who turns 30 in September, has already been angling for a deal similar to what Montez Sweat (Chicago Bears) and Rashan Gary (Green Bay Packers) have gotten recently. That’s in the range of $20 million to $24 million per year.

Making that kind of contract fit would be difficult for Detroit. Remember, the Lions have to pay (in no particular order) Amon-Ra St. Brown, Penei Sewell, Jared Goff and at least one of their starting guards a lot more money than they get now ā€” all in the next six to 12 months.

Of course, the Lions could view Reddick as an expensive one-year rental, but that would figure to lower what Detroit would be willing to give up to acquire him. The Lions will not be the only bidder. Pay attention to the wording from the Eagles, too. They’ve given permission to Reddick to seek a trade. Read as: Reddick and his representation get to seek out the best deal they can find, and then the Eagles have to agree to it. Reddick wants to cash in before he turns 30 and before his decline in overall play starts to get more noticeable. He has never been a great run defender or tackler with the Eagles, Panthers or Cardinals, so keeping up the sacks and pressures is mandatory to his value.

The 11 sacks were great, and the manner in which Reddick gets them would perfectly fit into the Lions defense on the opposite side of Aidan Hutchinson. Detroit should definitely be interested in paying Reddick for the 11 sacks and the closing speed around the outside edge that the team sorely lacked in 2023. But they have to be careful not to expect the 16-sack season that Reddick posted in 2022, when he was named second-team All-Pro. That sure looks like an anomalous peak season.

That distinction might not seem important, but it certainly is for Reddick. This is most likely his last chance to get a big paycheck, and he’ll emphasize his peak. So will the Eagles in any trade discussion, and that’s the difference between (spitballing here) two Day 2 picks over the next two drafts or a second-round pick this year and a sixth-round pick swap in 2025. For a team like the Lions, who build so carefully in the draft, that’s a big deal.

I would expect Holmes and the Lions to be a leading contender to acquire Reddick. They should be, anyway. He’d make for a wonderful complement to Hutchinson and give the pass rush the dimension it sorely lacked from the likes of Charles Harris, Romeo Okwara and an injured James Houston in 2023. But the price will need to be right, and that’s something the Lions cannot control.

Lions trade for Browns WR Donovan Peoples-Jones

The Lions dealt a 2025 draft pick to Cleveland to bring the Detroit native home

It’s been a pretty quiet run up to the NFL trade deadline for the Detroit Lions, but the team did make an acquisition ahead of Tuesday’s 4 p.m. deadline. The Lions have agreed to a trade with the Cleveland Browns for wide receiver Donovan Peoples-Jones.

The Lions are sending a sixth-round pick in 2025 to Cleveland for Peoples-Jones. The wideout is a Detroit native and played collegiately at Michigan. He was a sixth-round pick by Cleveland in the 2020 NFL draft.

Sorting which players are and are not available at the NFL trade deadline

What NFL and team insiders have said about the trade availably of several players often speculated or desired as Lions trade targets

The NFL’s trade deadline hits at 4 p.m. ET on Tuesday. In the days leading up to the deadline, speculation about what the Detroit Lions will do is hitting a fever pitch.

There are dreams of landing a major name, of being splashy buyers at the deadline. Other lower-level players have also been the object of desire and the occasional rumor. But are any of those potential targets actually available for Lions GM Brad Holmes even if he wanted to pull off a deal?

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The latest insider updates on some of the more popular names are a good reference for viable availability on the trade market.Ā How much credibility you wish to place in the various sources culled here is up to you.

Dan Campbell provides insight on the Lions trade deadline intentions

Detroit Lions HC Dan Campbell provides insight on trade deadline approach and has trust in GM Brad Holmes through the process

The Detroit Lions have been garnering widespread praise for their impressive turnaround and strong performance this season. It’s been a while since the Lions were mentioned alongside the NFL’s elite teams. Furthermore, their chances of making it to the Super Bowl are on the rise, thanks to their dominant performances against formidable opponents.

Traditionally, the Lions are sellers at the trade deadline, especially when their season isn’t going well. However, this year, they find themselves in contention and might become potential buyers during the upcoming trade season to bolster any potential weak spots that could hinder their playoff aspirations.

For those familiar with the team, it’s clear that they’re always on the lookout for ways to enhance their roster, whether through significant or minor moves. During his press conference today, HC Dan Campbell acknowledged ongoing discussions, indicating that GM Brad Holmes is diligently exploring potential trade deals.

ā€œHeā€™s (Brad Holmes) looking, heā€™s seeing if somethingā€™s out there, if (there is) something that makes sense, but ultimately, thatā€™s ā€“ I trust him. Heā€™s going to handle it and if itā€™s something thatā€™s serious, heā€™ll bring it to me, otherwise, I just ā€“ I handle my business, getting this team ready to play the next week and whatever does or does not happen, I trust Brad 100 percent. Itā€™s going to be for the better of us, betterment of our team.ā€

Holmes isn’t hesitant to make impactful decisions if he believes they benefit the team, a fact well understood by Campbell. They’ve maintained seamless communication and alignment since day one, coordinating efforts on free agent signings, trades, and the draft with the common goal of enhancing the team. Their mutual trust is a primary driving force behind the team’s current success.

The Lions’ activity at the upcoming trade deadline remains uncertain. Should they decide to make moves, it’s likely to involve smaller deals aimed at strengthening the team’s depth. Injuries have hit key positions, such as running back, cornerback, and offensive line, and they may explore trade options to address these areas. Regardless of the outcome, Holmes and Campbell have garnered widespread trust, with the expectation that any action taken will be in the best interest of the team’s improvement.

Brad Holmes refutes any Lions interest in trading for QB Trey Lance

Detroit GM Brad Holmes refutes any Lions interest in trading for QB Trey Lance

In his first official press conference since the NFL draft, Lions GM Brad Holmes refuted any reports that he or the Lions were involved in any of the trade talks surrounding QB Trey Lance. The 49ers traded Lance to the Dallas Cowboys and there were reports linking the Lions to being a potential suitor.

Not so, says Holmes.

“The Trey Lance thing in particular, I never reached out. I never inquired about the player or anything,” Holmes stated.

Holmes continued,

“I think the report was that us and some other teams were like, in that group of being interested. But I never actively pursued the player. I can’t speak to the accuracy of the reports.”

The report from Dianna Russini of The Athletic indicated that the Lions “showed interest” in potentially acquiring the No. 3 overall pick in the 2021 NFL draft.