Darius Slay Weighs in on Brad Holmes’ Biggest Mistake

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Darius Slay Weighs in on Brad Holmes’ Biggest Mistake

Richard Knight · Detroit Sports Nation

Wed, Oct 7, 2026 ·

3 min read

Slay Says Lions Should Have Kept Carlton Davis

According to Slay, Davis wasn't simply a good cornerback. His skill set matched exactly what Detroit wants to do defensively, particularly when playing aggressive man coverage.

"Honestly, the biggest mistake I think that the Lions did to that secondary was letting Carlton Davis go. That's who I felt like was the most complete corner and could've been a stamp there since I left there. I feel like Carlton Davis was a guy that fit that scheme. Them guys want to play a lot of man, a lot of matching, and I think Carlton Davis was a great addition to that," Slay said during his appearance, as transcribed by Sports Illustrated .

It's difficult to dismiss the timing of Slay's criticism. Detroit's secondary was shredded again Sunday night, with Carolina second-year receiver Tetairoa McMillan, last season's AP Offensive Rookie of the Year, producing 192 receiving yards and two touchdownsin the Panthers' 32-26 victory .

But Slay believes this goes beyond individual performances. His bigger concern is whether Detroit's defensive philosophy actually fits the players currently being asked to execute it.

Slay Questions Lions' Defensive Approach

Slay played with current defensive coordinator Kelvin Sheppard in Detroit, and he made it clear he respects him. His criticism instead focused on a disconnect between Detroit's personnel and the aggressive coverage Sheppard wants to play.

"Shep's a good dude. I played with Shep, he's known well, I've got a lot of respect because he coaches hard, he holds players accountable," Slay said. "I just don't see them playing complete defense. I see the linebacking corps isn't in sync with the secondary, and then I see the secondary is trying to play a lot of man but you don't have man corners at this time. I know Shep still wants to be aggressive, but he needs to address with the players."

That's the part Detroit has to figure out quickly. Wanting to play aggressive man coverage is one thing; having the personnel capable of surviving in it snap after snap is something else entirely.

Slay believes the Lions need to adjust.

"It's more about the coaches adjusting to what they have. D.J. Reed can play ball, but 60 plays of man, you're gonna lose. You're gonna lose some reps like that. I was in a Matt Patricia defense, we played man 85 percent of the time. I lost some, but I won way more than I did. But this group, as a group, is just not a winning group in the back end with that coverage scheme."

That's a pretty pointed assessment from somebody who knows a thing or two about playing cornerback in Detroit.

What Darius Slay Is Actually Arguing

Slay isn't arguing that Davis alone would have magically fixed everything wrong with this defense. He is arguing that Detroit allowed a cornerback who fit its preferred style to walk, then continued asking its secondary to play a style that may no longer fit the personnel.

Four games into the season, that decision isn't looking particularly good.