The Tampa Bay Buccaneers are sending off cornerback Carlton Davis to the Detroit Lions. On March 11 the news hit the headlines that a trade would be conducted between the teams, placing Davis in Detroit as his new home. Alongside Davis, the Lions are also receiving two sixth-round draft picks, one in 2024, and one in 2025.
So, what are the Buccaneers receiving for the shutdown corner? A third-round draft pick (#92) in the 2024 draft. At first glance, it doesn’t seem like a lot for a starting-caliber cornerback who has won a Super Bowl, but if we look a bit further it starts to make a bit more sense.
Davis Struggles to Stay Healthy
There are no arguments about the talent level and performance of Davis, as everyone agrees he plays at a high level. Davis’s biggest downside has always been his struggle to stay healthy. Since having entered the league in 2018 as a second-round pick, Davis has yet to play a full season. He’s never had a season where he has missed less than two games. In his 2021 season, he was plagued the most by injuries, missing six games.
To reiterate, the talent is there. Surely the Detroit Lions are getting an immediate starter that can lock down the outside. In fact, in a pre-game interview in November, Cincinnati Bengals wide receiver Ja’Marr Chase sat down with NBC’s Devin McCourty.
In the interview McCourty asked, “Who is the best defensive back that you’ve played against?”
“For me, I’ll say Carlton Davis. Only reason I say Carlton Davis is because he was longer than I expected,” Chase said, talking about Davis’s impressive 32 3/4″ wingspan.
“He made some good plays on me, so I ain’t never gonna forget that one.”
Davis is joining a Lions team that made a deep playoff run in 2023 before losing to the 49ers, 34-31 in the NFC Championship.
The Buccaneers Have a Plan
Even though the Buccaneers are giving up two sixth-round picks alongside Davis, there is a big upside to this trade for the team. For starters, the transfer of Davis allows the Bucs to shed $6 million in cap space for the 2024 season. This is important considering the team had a very large list of free agents to re-sign this offseason (Mike Evans, Baker Mayfield, Antoine Winfield Jr, and Lavonte David , etc.). The extra cap space from Davis’s contract helps the team bring some of those key players back.
The second part to this is the third-round draft pick the Buccaneers receive. Officially, it’s the 92nd pick in the 2024 draft, meaning the team could land an immediate starting caliber player. General manager Jason Licht could have looked at this as a situation where the team could not only free up cap space to bring back some vital players, but also immediately replace the talent lost at the cornerback position with a younger solution.
In a recent article analyzing the 2024 draft class, BVM Sports had this to say about the upcoming talent across the board.
“The 2024 NFL Draft class is noteworthy for its deep and talented quarterback, wide receiver, offensive tackle, and cornerback groups. These positions are crucial for team success, and having an abundance of quality prospects in these areas could significantly impact the future of the league.”
Before dismissing a third-round pick as a loss, Buccaneers fans should keep in mind that Russell Wilson, Travis Kelce, and Cooper Kupp were all third-round picks in recent memory.
