In his first meeting with Detroit media last March, Carlton Davis promised he would be the "lockdown corner" the Lions desperately needed. Then he went out and delivered, surrendering a 77.0 passer rating and a 55.3 percent completion rate in his coverage with two interceptions, 11 pass breakups and two fumble recoveries in 13 games this season.
Of course Davis also missed the end of the season, sidelined by a broken jaw. That continued a general trend of him being banged up, as he has missed at least four games in four straight seasons. Those durability concerns add a layer to things as he now heads into free agency.
That said, there's a strong case for Davis as the second-best free agent cornerback available this year. His prowess in man-coverage particularly stands out, and he's not afraid to get involved defending the run to complete his reputation as one of the most physical cornerbacks in the league.
The Lions would certainly like to have Davis back on a multi-year deal, but entering his age-29 season he can and should see what else might be out there on the market. There's a chance another team will be willing to go to more years and more money per year than the Lions are.
The list of potential Davis free agency suitors can certainly be longer, but let's hone in on these six teams as the biggest threats to the Lions' effort to bring him back.
6 teams who could be the biggest threats to the Lions re-signing Carlton Davis
6. Pittsburgh Steelers
Davis' physical nature seems to scream "Steelers." According to Pro Football Focus, the Steelers ran Cover 1 at the fourth-highest rate in the NFL this past season, and as also noted by PFF that's a "scheme Davis is well acquainted with from his time in Detroit."
With around $40.7 million in cap space, the Steelers could make a noticeable offer to Davis.
5. San Francisco 49ers
The 49ers themselves have a significant free agent at cornerback in Charvarius Ward, so they could just allocate significant resources to re-signing him and they wouldn't be wrong. But if it looks like Ward will go elsewhere, there's a case for them to pursue Davis as an upgrade pivot.
As PFF named the Steelers and 49ers top potential landing spots for Davis they noted how
new (returning) 49ers defensive coordinator Robert Saleh is likely to want to replicate the Cover-1 heavy scheme he used as the New York Jets' head coach with great success. Davis obviously fits that kind of philosophy like a glove, and San Francisco seems equipped to make a viable offer with over $43 million in effective cap space.
4. Jacksonville Jaguars
In some sense, the Jaguars feel like an unlikely suitor for Davis. But insight from ESPN's Jeremy Fowler has named them specifically as a team who may have significant interest.
"Some teams have Davis as the No. 2 corner in the class. Watch for Jacksonville to potentially make a move here. The Jaguars likely won't be huge spenders in free agency, but they want to fortify their secondary."
Jacksonville had the league's worst pass defense this season (257.4 yards per game), and in most other pass defense metrics they were at or near the bottom of the league. So they can definitely use someone like Davis. The question will be if they'll be willing to compete toward the top end of offers he's in line to get, especially with Fowler suggesting they "likely won't be huge spenders", but the Jaguars' history suggests they will spend if they really like a player. And they should like Davis a heck of a lot.
3. New England Patriots
The departure of Lions' defensive line coach Terrell Williams to reunite with Mike Vrabel as the Patriots' defensive coordinator fosters this fit.
On the surface, pass defense does not look like a massive weakness for New England, since they allowed 211.5 yards allowed per game this season (10th in the league) and they seeming have a solid trio of cornerbacks (Christian Gonzalez, Jonathan Jones, Marcus Jones).
But they lacked impactful plays in that area, with just seven interceptions, and they also allowed the seventh-highest passer rating in the league (96.9). Allowing so few yards through the air is thus revealed as largely a function of facing the 10th-fewest pass attempts in the league (31.4 per game), which is a clear residual of finishing 4-13.
As Cam Garrity of Patriots Wire proposed, Davis' presence would pair nicely with Gonzalez while bumping Jonathan and Marcus Jones into more ideal roles in the slot. And money will be no object for the Patriots in their free agent pursuits, with a clear league-high $120 million in cap space right now.
2. Washington Commanders
There's no getting around it, the Commanders' acquisition of cornerback Marshon Lattimore from the New Orleans Saints at the trade deadline did not work out anywhere near as hoped. A left hamstring injury led to him only playing two of a possible eight regular season games after the trade, and he was not impactful in the five total games he did play for them (including the playoffs). In fact, he was often an active detriment to their defense.
The run defense was more of an issue than the pass defense for Washington this season. But because they were so generous against the run (30th in the league), a lot of their pass defense stats are misleading based on a lack of volume.
While Michigan product Mike Sainristil looked like a keeper as a rookie, the Commanders are stuck with Lattimore based on what they gave up for him (third, fourth and sixth-round picks in the 2025 draft) and his contract (through 2026). So they can use cornerback help, and they have the means to aggressively address it ($78.1 million in cap space; third-most in the league right now according to Over The Cap).
1. New York Jets
It's obvious, and absolutely true. Davis was a great fit for Aaron Glenn's man-heavy defensive scheme in Detroit, and now as the Jets head coach Glenn is set to strongly vouch for some his former Lions' defensive players in free agency. Davis should really be No. 1 on that list of Lions' free agents for Glenn, especially since D.J. Reed already took an opportunity to all but guarantee publicly he's leaving the Jets in free agency.
The biggest impediment to the Jets being a significant suitor for Davis is financial, as they currently sit in the bottom half of the league in cap space. But they also have possible paths to clearing big chunks of cap space before free agency starts. If they end up able to compete with other offers, the draw of joining Glenn could very well push Davis toward New York.
