The Detroit Lions’ cornerback room saw a significant shake-up during the first week of NFL free agency. They lost starting cornerback Carlton Davis III when he signed with the New England Patriots. They promptly replaced him by acquiring former New York Jets CB D.J. Reed.
Both are proven starters at the position, but who is the better fit for the Lions? Should they have tried harder to keep Davis, or did they make the right move by swapping him for Reed? Let’s take a deeper look at these two players and see who’s got the edge.
Former Lions CB Carlton Davis III has extensive postseason experience and success. In his seven-year career, he has been to the playoffs five times, started nine games, and, most importantly, won Super Bowl LV with the Tampa Bay Buccaneers.
While Reed has been to the postseason twice in his seven-year career, his role was much more limited than Davis’s. Reed’s first playoff experience was during the 2019 San Francisco 49ers Super Bowl run. Throughout the entire postseason, he saw only 2 snaps on the defensive side of the ball. He was used exclusively as a special teamer the rest of the time.
Reed was a full-time starter when the 2020 Seattle Seahawks made the postseason, however, they lost in the NFL Wildcard Round.
Looking back at the 2017 NFL Draft combine, D.J. Reed had an athletic edge over Carlton Davis III. The Relative Athletic Score (RAS) scores of these two players were pretty close, Reed’s 6.87 edges out Davis who had a 6.78. However, the proximity of these numbers is a bit misleading.
The scores are close primarily due to Davis’s size advantage. Still, Reed is the superior athlete when looking at values related to agility and explosiveness—two key traits for a cornerback.
During Reed’s time with the Seahawks and Jets, he had a modest 17-game average of one interception and eight passes defended. Davis has nearly twice the ball production with a 17-game average of two interceptions and 16 passes defended.
Interceptions are an unpredictable statistic, but some players have a knack for the ball—Davis is one of them.
It remains to be seen how much the defense has changed with the departure of Defensive Coordinator Aaron Glenn, but assuming the scheme remains the same. D.J. Reed is a perfect fit.
Reed plays tight man coverage. According to Next Gen Stats, Reed had the 4th best tight window throw percentage in the league at 37.3%. He is almost always in the wide receiver’s hip pocket, making the quarterback’s job very difficult.
Davis is also good in man coverage, but not to the same extent as Reed. His tight window throw percentage was nearly 15% lower than Reed’s.
Reed is also one of the most aggressive and sure tacklers. His yards-after-catch-allowed average in 2024 was a full yard less than Davis.
One shrewd move Lions General Manager Brad Holmes likes to use during free agency is letting a player walk and find a better value replacement via free agency, often saving cap space.
This was the case when the Lions signed Reed in free agency on a 3-year, $48 million deal, while Davis landed a 3-year, $54 million contract with the Patriots.
While losing Carlton Davis III’s size, ball skills, and playoff experience stings, the Lions found a more athletic player and a better fit for their aggressive defensive identity. Ultimately, this move comes down to the financials, and D.J. Reed’s smaller cap number is the difference maker.
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