NFL free agency officially began on Monday at 12 P.M. EST. For the Detroit Lions, that meant exploring the cornerback market, as they were expected to lose Carlton Davis. Sure enough, that's exactly what happened as Davis signed a three-year, $60 million deal with the New England Patriots, according to Adam Schefter.
That said, it didn't take Detroit long to replace Davis. Around 15 minutes after Schefter reported that Davis signed with the Patriots, he confirmed that the Lions signed former New York Jets cornerback D.J. Reed. Reed received a three-year deal worth $48 million. The 28-year-old's addition to the secondary should replace Davis well.
Lions Make Massive Addition to Help Replace Carlton Davis
Unlike Davis last season, Reed isn't coming from a team where he was the team's No.1 cornerback. However, that's by no fault of his own, as the Jets have one of the top young cornerbacks in the league, Sauce Gardner. Since 2022, Reed and Gardner have been one of the best cornerback duos in the NFL.
In his three seasons with the Jets, Reed recorded 202 tackles, 32 pass deflections, two forced fumbles, and two interceptions. Furthermore, in two out of three seasons, he finished with a pass coverage grade of 75 or higher, according to PFF. In 2022, Reed's coverage grade was 16th best (77.5), and in 2023, his coverage grade was 24th best (79.5).
This past season, Reed slightly regressed, finishing as the 47th-best cornerback in coverage with a 70.1 grade. While that seems problematic, New York's defense struggled overall in 2024, so Reed's drop in play makes some sense.
Comparatively, Reed's 2024 season was a slightly better season than Davis's 2023 season, depending on what stats you look at. In 2023, Davis recorded 52 tackles, nine pass deflections, and two interceptions. But he had a terrible coverage rating of 57.5, according to PFF.
Even though he lacks the interceptions that Davis had, Reed seems to be more consistent in coverage than Davis before stopping in Detroit. Regardless, Reed must continue to play at a high level without Gardner to justify signing him instead of keeping Davis.