Carlton Davis III is undoubtedly one of the best corners the Lions family has seen in a handful of years. Without batting an eye, most GMs would likely hand over their wallet and resign him for a few more years in hopes of some lockdown plays. But what could Davis’s future be with Detroit?
To start out let’s talk about stats. Last year with the Lions, Davis had a combined total of 56 tackles, 42 being solos. Along with that, 11 pass deflections and a single forced fumble with 2 interceptions (both being crucial turnovers in the Texan’s comeback game). He managed these all through only playing 13 games due to some injury problems, which has come up a ton throughout his career. Before 2024, he started and played with the Tampa Bay Buccaneers after being a second-round (63rd overall) pick in the 2018 NFL Draft. Through 6 seasons and 76 games played with the Buccs, he had 324 total tackles, 9 interceptions, 3 forced fumbles, and 73 pass deflections.
While having an impressive stat line, he could have an even better one if he could manage to play a full season. In his 7 years of playing, he has never played a 16 or 17-game full season due to injury. This is the main point of worry for the Lions office because of what happened last year, which was him getting injured before the playoffs. The most he played in a season was in 2019 and 2020 when he pulled out 14 games twice. As bad as it may sound, this could be a point of cheap pay for the Lions to use.
So this brings up the question, will Detroit resign Carlton Davis III, and how much are they willing to burn for him? Looking at cap space, Detroit is comfortably up there in the top at an estimated $46,684,933 in cap space and $44,021,652 in effective cap space. And Carlton Davis is not cheap at all. Davis is estimated to be worth a 50 million dollar contract based on performance, but it could be stinted by his injury bug issues. With many players soon ending their rookie contract, the window for cheap players is closing with names like Jameson Williams, Aidan Hutchinson, and Kerby Joseph. And that’s just some players off the top of my head, there are a handful of other players as well. With a horrible injury bug taking out multiple starters last year, the question is in the air of the depth chart. It is also a question of if the other corners can fill Davis’ role or if they can find someone in the NFL draft.
So while I can never for certain say what his future with the Lions is, I can say he could be worth it if the Lions can work a friendly contract with him. With two dead runs in the playoffs, the Superbowl window for Detroit could be closing quickly within the next few years. Will they go all in for a single Super Bowl like the Rams did a few years ago? Or will they try to create their own dynasty like the 2002 Patriots and create assurance in long-time players? Only time will tell but time isn’t Detroit’s Friend.
