Patriots Quietly Land Defensive Gem in CB Carlton Davis III

The New England Patriots spent a massive chunk of money addressing their defense in free agency, and while Milton Williams and Harold Landry represented the most high-profile signings, the Patriots added another very good player who is flying under the radar: cornerback Carlton Davis III.

Davis was part of a very deep cornerback market this past March, so he didn't draw a ton of attention from fans or media pundits. However, he has consistently been an impressive contributor throughout his NFL career, which began with the Tampa Bay Buccaneers in 2018 and featured a one-year detour with the Detroit Lions in 2024.

Now, the 28-year-old joins a Patriots secondary that already included Second-Team All-Pro corner Christian Gonzalez, so there is certainly a lot to like about New England's defensive backfield — which actually wasn't terrible last season — heading into 2025.

Bernd Buchmasser and Taylor Kyles of Pats Pulpit definitely seem to be envisioning a strong debut campaign for Davis in Foxborough, and they feel the Gonzalez-Davis tandem could be lethal.

"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," Buchmasser and Kyles wrote. "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."

Davis registered 56 tackles, a couple of interceptions and 11 passes defended in 13 games with the Lions last year.

The one downside to Davis is his durability, as he has never played a full season. As a matter of fact, the Auburn product has never appeared in more than 14 contests in one individual campaign.

We'll see if Davis can stay on the field for the Patriots.