The Detroit Lions traded for a new No. 1 cornerback Monday, but not the one you were thinking of.
The Lions sent a third-round pick to the Tampa Bay Buccaneers for cornerback Carlton Davis and sixth-round choices in the next two NFL drafts.
The Lions gave up their own third-round pick in the deal, No. 92 overall. They still have the Minnesota Vikings’ third-round choice, No. 73 overall, from the 2022 T.J. Hockenson trade.
Davis had two interceptions in 12 starts for the Bucs last season and has been a full-time starter since his rookie year. He allowed four touchdowns and had a 96.1 passer rating against last year, according to Pro Football Reference, but missed five games with an assortment of injuries.
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At 6 feet 1 and 206 pounds, Davis, who turns 28 in December, has the size and versatility the Lions like in their cornerbacks.
He made seven tackles in the Lions’ playoff win over the Bucs in January, and was the recipient of a bone-rattling block by Craig Reynolds on Amon-Ra St. Brown’s touchdown catch-and-run in the Lions’ October win in Tampa.
The Lions had been linked to several top cornerbacks in recent weeks, including Kansas City Chiefs franchised cornerback L’Jarius Sneed and the Cleveland Browns’ Greg Newsome, as they shopped around to bolster their secondary this offseason.
Last year, the Lions ranked 30th in yards per pass play (7.15) and 27th in passing yards allowed despite signing cornerbacks Cam Sutton and Emmanuel Moseley and safety C.J. Gardner-Johnson in free agency.