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Jenna Laine, ESPN Staff Writer
TAMPA, Fla. — The Tampa Bay Buccaneers have traded starting cornerback Carlton Davis III to the Detroit Lions, sources told ESPN Monday. The Bucs will receive a third-round draft pick in 2024, and the Lions will receive a sixth-round draft pick in 2024 and a sixth-round pick in 2025, a source said.
The Lions also agreed to a one-year, $10.5 million deal with defensive lineman Marcus Davenport, according to multiple reports.
Davis, 28, was set to count $14.35 million against the salary cap in 2024, the final year of his contract (the Bucs had three void years on the deal through 2027). He’d missed 16 games over the past three years because of injury, and the emergence of Zyon McCollum in 2023 allowed the Bucs to unload Davis’ salary and save $6.3 million of cap space.
Davis registered 9 interceptions — with a career high of 4 in 2020 — 3 forced fumbles and 4 fumble recoveries in six seasons. In 12 games last season, Davis recorded 52 combined tackles (40 solo), 2 interceptions and 9 pass breakups.
The Bucs were just awarded a sixth-round compensatory draft pick — No. 220 — last week, which helped facilitate the move.
The Bucs also elected not to pick up wide receiver Russell Gage‘s option for 2024, which was part of his deal being restricted last season, a source told ESPN. Gage was due to make $10 million in 2024 and is now a free agent. Gage missed all of last season with a torn patellar tendon in his right knee. Gage’s departure was first reported by Fox Sports.
With Davis, the Lions are filling a much-needed hole within the defense. Detroit’s defense allowed 23.2 points per game, ranked 23rd in the league, while allowing 7.8 yards per pass attempt, which ranked 31st. One of the main areas for improvement this offseason was to upgrade the secondary by adding more talent at cornerback.
Earlier this month, a source told ESPN’s Jeremy Fowler that the Lions didn’t plan to tender RFA cornerback Jerry Jacobs, who is set to become an unrestricted free agent. Jacobs had four interceptions and 23 pass breakups in three seasons with the Lions, including 29 starts, but Detroit was in search of an upgrade.
In February, the Lions also released veteran safety Tracy Walker III to create $5.5 million in 2024 salary cap space, according to Roster Management System.
A healthy Davenport would also help shore up Detroit’s defense. He’s coming off a one-year deal in 2023 with the Vikings, who hoped he would benefit from a change of scenery and blossom in defensive coordinator Brian Flores’ aggressive scheme. Flores loved the size and versatility Davenport could bring to his blitz packages and had big plans to use him at multiple positions before a right ankle injury — suffered in practice three days before the start of the regular season — cascaded into a mostly lost season.
Davenport sat out Week 1, played only four snaps in Week 2 and did not make an impact until recording a sack in Week 4 against the Carolina Panthers. He played in two more games before suffering what turned out to be a season-ending left ankle sprain in Week 6 that ultimately required surgery. He finished the season with two sacks and seven tackles on a career-low 118 snaps.
The 14th pick of the 2018 draft, Davenport, who turns 28 in September, similarly fell short of expectations in five seasons with the New Orleans Saints. Injuries limited him to 63 appearances, and 32 starts, over that period. He had a career-high nine sacks in 2021 but managed only 0.5 sacks the following season.
In six seasons, Davenport has 148 tackles, 23.5 sacks, 7 forced fumbles and a recovery.
ESPN’s Eric Woodyard and Kevin Seifert contributed to this report.
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