Entering free agency as the league leaders in salary cap space, the New England Patriots wasted no time making some big investments. Among those was veteran cornerback Carlton Davis, who signed a three-year, $54 million contract after previous stints with the Tampa Bay Buccaneers and Detroit Lions.
Now a Patriot, Davis projects as a starter and the Robin to All-Pro Christian Gonzalez’s Batman.
Hard facts
Name: Carlton Davis III
Position: Cornerback
Jersey number: 7
Opening day age: 28 (12/31/1996)
Measurements: 6’1”, 206 lbs, 79 3/8” wingspan, 32 3/4” arm length, 8 7/8” hand size, 4.53s 40-yard dash, 34” vertical jump, 10’4” broad jump, 7.3s 3-cone drill, 4.31s short shuttle, 16 bench press reps, 6.36 Relative Athletic Score
Experience
NFL: Tampa Bay Buccaneers (2018-23), Detroit Lions (2024), England Patriots (2025-) | College: Auburn (2015-17)
One of the top prospects in the state of Florida coming out Miami Norland High School, Davis received scholarship offers from some of the most successful college programs in the country. Even though his hometown Miami Hurricanes were among them, the three-star recruit decided to take his talents to Auburn.
Davis made an impact from early in his true freshman campaign on, and after three seasons with the Tigers had 38 in-game appearances and 32 starts on his résumé. He also registered three interceptions and forced fumbles each, and was honored as an All-SEC selection in both his second and third seasons at Auburn. As a result of his success, he decided to forgo his senior year and headed for the NFL Draft.
The decision paid off: Davis heard his name called 63rd overall in the second round of the 2018 draft. He went on to spend six seasons with the Buccaneers, during which he appeared in 85 combined regular season and playoff games and helped the team win a Super Bowl. Despite his status as a starter in the Tampa Bay secondary, he was traded to Detroit during the 2024 offseason.
In total, Davis has started 97 of his 98 career games while also intercepting 11 passes, forcing four fumbles and recovering six.
Scouting report
Strengths: Standing at 6-foot-1 with a 79 3/8-inch wingspan and almost 33-inch arms, Davis offers tremendous length at the cornerback position. This in combination with a naturally physical demeanor allows him to get into receivers quickly and efficiently at the line of scrimmage. An able press-man cornerback who also has a proven track record in zone looks, he is capable of challenging pass catchers throughout their routes and at the catch point. His build allows him to contest catches on the perimeter and in jump-ball situations.
Davis also is one of the better run defenders the cornerback position has to offer. He attacks downhill with a purpose, and is able to fight off wide receiver blocks to get to the ball carrier. In general, Davis plays the position with a high level of intensity and swagger: he is a good overall player, and will make sure you know about it.
Weaknesses: Even though he was the top dog at cornerback in both Tampa and Detroit, Davis lacks the rare athleticism of some other CB1s (such as his new teammate Christian Gonzalez). As a result, he is susceptible to speed and quickness if unable to put himself in a winning position early in routes and win through his physicality. This has led to some big plays given up as well as some penalty issues, including four in a Week 4 matchup against Seattle’s DK Metcalf last season.
In addition, Davis has had some injury woes throughout his career. He has yet to play a full season, and missed a combined 28 games since entering the league in 2018.
2024 review
Stats: 13 games (13 starts) | 697 defensive snaps (59.5%), 7 special teams snaps (1.4%) | 56 tackles, 8 missed tackles (12.5%), 1 forced fumble, 2 fumble recoveries | 72 targets, 43 catches surrendered (59.7%), 583 yards, 3 TDs, 2 INTs | 8 penalties (1 offset)
Season recap: Coming off what had become a standard season for Davis — starting on the outside, missing time due to injury — the Buccaneers decided to put their No. 1 cornerback on the trade block. In March 2024, Davis and a pair of sixth-round draft picks moved to the Lions in return for a third-round selection later that spring.
Once in Detroit, Davis immediately took over as the team’s top perimeter cornerback. He held that role throughout the season, until he fractured his jaw in Week 15 against the Buffalo Bills. The injury ended up costing him the final three regular season games as well as the Lions’ divisional round playoff loss to the Washington Commanders.
Before his season’s ultimately and disappointing end, Davis had played some solid football. Despite going up against a challenging slate of receivers that included the likes of Justin Jefferson, Chris Godwin, CeeDee Lamb, Christian Watson, Cooper Kupp and the aforementioned DK Metcalf, he surrendered only 43 catches for 583 yards with 3 touchdowns and a pair of interceptions.
Looking closer at his season, however, we can see that he started off quite slowly in a new system. Over the first month of the season, for example, he gave up 24 receptions on 34 targets for 313 yards and 2 TDs and was flagged five times — including four times in the aforementioned matchup with Seattle’s Metcalf.
Following that Week 5 contest against the Seahawks, however, Davis began settling down. The rest of the season, opposing quarterbacks went just 19-of-38 for 270 yards with 1 TD and 2 INTs when throwing his way. His passer rating surrendered dropped from 118.9 over the first four games to 60.2 over the last nine.
He still had some uneven moments down the stretch — his matchups with Green Bay’s Watson were a particular challenge, for example — but he generally stood his ground once finding his footing in Detroit’s man-heavy defense.
In total, the 2024 season was par the course for Davis. He showcased his physical play style against some of the top wideouts in football and was a serviceable CB1 for one of the best teams in the NFL. However, he also ended up missing a combined five games due to a knee injury as well as the broken jaw mentioned above.
2025 preview
Position: No. 2 cornerback | Ability: High quality starter | Contract: Signed through 2027
What will be his role? Davis has spent virtually his entire career as an outside cornerback, and he will continue playing that position under Patriots defensive coordinator Terrell Williams (who was with the Lions in 2024). What will change, however, is his spot in the pecking order: with Christian Gonzalez as the undisputed CB1, Davis will slide into the CB2 starting role opposite him.
What is his growth potential? A veteran of seven NFL seasons, Davis is at a point in his career where growth is marginal. That said, a second straight season in a man-heavy defense as well as what projects as an easier slate of opponents might lead to improved results coming off an already solid 2024 campaign.
Does he have positional versatility? Davis has moved into the slot on occasion and also played a handful of special teams snaps through his career, but his versatility is somewhat limited. In fact, it will be interesting to see how the Patriots will opt to employ him: with Christian Gonzalez a true No. 1 at the position capable of traveling with opponents, Davis might be forced out of his established comfort zone a bit; since entering the league, he has played 74.4 percent of his perimeter snaps (3,888 of 5,225) on the defensive left, including 86.7 percent last year (510 of 588). This number coming down in 2025 could very much happen.
What is his salary cap situation? As part of the three-year, $54 million contract he signed with the Patriots in March, Davis is carrying a salary cap hit of $11.7 million this season. That number consists of $10.5 million in full guarantees — his $5 million salary plus a $5.5 million signing bonus proration — as well as $1.275 million in roster bonuses ($975,000 of them classified as likely to be earned) and a $225,000 workout bonus.
How safe is his roster spot? Having joined the team on a massive free agency contract just two months ago, Davis is a lock to make the Patriots’ roster this season. And not just that: he is a lock to play a starting role on defense.
Summary: Even though he was the Lions’ No. 1 cornerback last season, and a solid one at that, Davis might just have joined the perfect situation in New England. With Christian Gonzalez in the mix as shutdown cornerback in the making, the 28-year-old will be allowed to slide into what should be a role better suited to his talents: Davis very well might end up as one of the better CB2s in the league when all is said and done.
What do you think about Carlton Davis heading into the 2025 season? Please head down to the comment section to share your thoughts.