The injury bug has hit the Detroit Lions hard, and they cannot get rid of it. Despite extending their win streak to four games in their victory against the Cincinnati Bengals, the Lions keep losing players. The Lions currently have ten players on injured reserve and their secondary has slowly been falling apart, specifically at cornerback.
D.J. Reed was placed on injured reserve last Wednesday, Khalil Dorsey suffered a concussion on Sunday and is expected to miss some time, and Terrion Arnold is still sidelined with a shoulder injury. To combat their losses, the Lions have urgently added depth to their secondary, signing Tre Flowers and Nick Whiteside to their practice squad. The Lions continued in their attempts to sign more players on Tuesday, but failed to land nine-year veteran Michael Davis.
CB Michael Davis Chooses Saints Over Lions
Per Matt Zenitz of CBS Sports, cornerback Michael Davis signed with the New Orleans Saints. And according to Mike Garafolo of NFL Network, Davis chose to sign with the Saints over the Lions.
Davis likely chose to sign with the Saints because his former head coach with the Los Angeles Chargers, Brandon Staley, now serves as the defensive coordinator in New Orleans. Last year, Davis played for the Washington Commanders, where he recorded 14 tackles, seven of which were solo, and one pass deflection in 15 games. This move may have been a mistake for Davis' career.
His 43.3 Pro Football Focus grade ranked 205th out of 222 cornerbacks, and his 40.3 coverage grade ranked 222nd. Before playing with the Commanders, Davis spent his first seven seasons with the Chargers, recording 349 total tackles, one sack, eight interceptions, and 69 pass deflections in 107 games.
Davis, 30, is far from his peak as a starting cornerback, and he’ll likely serve as a rotational corner and a veteran mentor to the young players on the Saints. Even though his best days are behind him, the Lions desperately could use his experience.
With three of their starting corners sidelined, the Lions are relying on Flowers, Rock Ya-Sin, and Amik Robertson to step it up in their place. Besides those three, Avonte Maddox is the team’s only other corner on the active roster.
Davis would’ve benefited in the long run if he chose the Lions over the Saints, as he’d receive immediate starting reps on a championship contender. Not only would he have a chance of reaching the Super Bowl, but had he performed well, Davis could’ve earned a decent payday in free agency.
Although Davis is off the market, there are still a few remaining free agents that the Lions could go after. Stephon Gilmore, Kendall Fuller, and James Bradberry are a few names that the Lions could target.