Story by
New Lions CB Carlton Davis wants to create Bulls, Lakers-like dynasty in Detroit
- Story by
- New Lions CB Carlton Davis wants to create Bulls, Lakers-like dynasty in Detroit
Carlton Davis III had no idea he was on the trading block until, well, he was off it.
Davis, the Detroit Lions' newest cornerback, said at his introductory news conference Wednesday he was shocked to learn he was being traded from the only NFL team he's ever played for, the Tampa Bay Buccaneers , to the Lions for a third-round pick.
Advertisement
"Just being there for six years, just being a natural-born Floridian myself, it was a shock just to get the call," Davis said. "It always is. It's natural to have that response, but after talking about it with my family, understanding the situation, where I was going, the opportunity that lies ahead, it gave me a lot of excitement, a lot of hope to come here."
Tampa Bay Buccaneers cornerback Carlton Davis III (24) celebrates after an NFL football game against the Atlanta Falcons, Sunday, Dec. 10, 2023, in Atlanta. The Tampa Bay Buccaneers won 29-25.
The Lions made Davis the centerpiece acquisition of their offseason hours after the free agent negotiating period opened Monday, trading the No. 92 pick in April's draft to the Bucs for Davis and two sixth-rounders.
Davis played primarily as the left cornerback on a Tampa team that won the NFC South last season, and he pledged to be that and more for the Lions this fall.
Advertisement
MORE: Detroit Lions give contracts to James Houston, Kayode Awosika; 5 others test free agency
"You about to get a lockdown corner," he said. "You about to be able to have one side just like unavailable. That's what I do. I'm here to take your No. 1 receiver on any team, I'm here to deny the ball, I'm here to take the ball away."
A full-time starter when healthy for all of his six seasons in Tampa, Davis intercepted two passes in 12 games last year. He has nine picks for his career and finished second in the NFL in passes defended in 2019-20, but allowed a career-high 14.4 yards per completion last season, according to Pro Football Reference ,
Just 27, Davis won a Super Bowl with the Bucs in 2020 and said that experience gave him perspective on the poise and resilience it takes to win in the NFL – qualities he said he saw in two games against the Lions last year.
Tampa Bay Buccaneers cornerback Carlton Davis III (24) runs with the ball after intercepting a pass during the first half of an NFL football game against the Tampa Bay Buccaneers, Sunday, Dec. 10, 2023, in Atlanta.
The Lions beat the Bucs in the regular season, 20-6, when Davis said the crowd was "just blue, everywhere," then again in the divisional round of the playoffs.
Advertisement
"I was talking to somebody earlier about that, how resilient that group was and just the fight and the dog they had," Davis said. "You could tell that the culture is good cause usually when you're in a tough battle and a team at some point budges, there's two teams competing really hard and they never budged. They kept the same energy, played with that same physicality and just was bringing it every play. So just being an opponent, you recognize things like that. You respect those qualities in a team for sure."
THUMBS UP THUMBS DOWN: Detroit Lions in NFL free agency 2024: Thumbs up or thumbs down so far?
Davis projects to play as the Lions' No. 1 cornerback this fall in a secondary that returns Cam Sutton , Brian Branch and Kerby Joseph as starters. Ifeatu Melifonwu , who finished last season as a starting safety, also returns, and the Lions re-signed Emmanuel Moseley in free agency and agreed to a two-year deal with former Las Vegas Raiders cornerback Amik Robertson that should be finalized Thursday.
Davis, who's entering the final year of his contract, said he "definitely" is open to signing an extension with the Lions, though he said he needs "to get my feet wet first and get in the building before" fully engaging in those conversations.
Advertisement
He's scheduled to make $14 million this fall.
"This is a great organization," he said "It's trending upward, so I would love to be a part of a dynasty where we can go win multiple championships over the next couple of years. That's one of my goals is to create something that is kind of like the Lakers, is kind of like what all the dynasties did back in the day, Chicago Bulls. I think they have a nice young roster, great coaching staff, great culture here to do it. Honestly, even when we won it back in Tampa, you just kind of see the same similarities here but younger players here so it's a lot of growth."
Contact Dave Birkett at dbirkett@freepress.com . Follow him on Twitter @davebirkett.
This article originally appeared on Detroit Free Press: Detroit Lions' Carlton Davis wants to help create Bulls-like dynasty
