It was a given that he needed to upgrade the team’s cornerbacks room, plus add multiple impact players along the defensive line. And Holmes, the 2023 Pro Football Writers of America’s Executive of the Year, has done just that since the opening of free agency on Wednesday.$3,280,701.
Holmes and the Lions started making noise early Monday evening – Monday was the first day of the NFL’s legal tampering period – when they inked veteran EDGE Marcus Davenport to a one-year deal. They soon followed that up by acquiring veteran cornerback Carlton Davis III in a trade with the Buccaneers.
Additionally, if Davenport is healthy (he played just four games a season ago with the Vikings), he has the potential to form a very solid EDGE-rushing duo with Pro Bowler Aidan Hutchinson.
Meanwhile, Davis, a Super Bowl champion with Tampa Bay, possesses the necessary intangibles to be a solid man coverage corner in the Lions’ secondary. At this present juncture, he’s likely a step ahead of Cam Sutton for the No. 1 cornerback job, although, based on his track record, he’s best suited to be an NFL team’s No. 2 corner.
Detroit gave up its second of two third-round picks in this April’s draft (No. 92 overall) to land Davis, who has one year remaining on a three-year, $44.5 million contract he signed with Tampa Bay in March 2022. He’s set to earn a base salary of $14 million in 2024.