When Dan Campbell was coaching in New Orleans and Carlton Davis III was a rookie cornerback for the Tampa Bay Buccaneers, who faced the Saints twice a year as NFC South rivals, Campbell initially took an interest in Davis.
“I know that (defensive coordinator Aaron Glenn) AG and I have a history of watching this man together from the sidelines. “Throughout my entire stay in New Orleans, I saw him develop, and I always believed he matched up better than anyone against Mike Thomas in Mike’s prime,” Campbell remarked on Wednesday.
“Every year he improved so much and truly turned into the man; if you put him on an island, you could pretty much count on him to take care of business there. Thus,
The Lions played Davis and the Buccaneers twice last season and had little success throwing his way. They completed just five passes in two games in his coverage area for a total of 29 yards.
Between Campbell’s early experience watching Davis in New Orleans and the lack of success Detroit had throwing at him last year, the team made the offseason trade a priority. The Lions gave up a third-round pick to acquire Davis and received a 2024 sixth-round pick and a 2025 sixth rounder.
In Detroit, Davis has become a key player in the Lions’ revamped secondary that expects to be much improved in 2024.