The Patriots are building on one of their strengths in free agency.
According to ESPN, they've agreed to a three-year deal with cornerback Carlton Davis III that is worth $60 million and includes $34.5 million fully guaranteed.
With third-year corner Christian Gonzalez looking like a building block at one of the game's premium positions, Davis will be able to man the opposite side of the field to try to frustrate opposing quarterbacks.
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The 6-foot-1, 206-pound corner spent last year with the Lions and new Patriots defensive coordinator Terrell Williams (defensive line coach in Detroit). He had two picks and a forced fumble in 13 games played.
Prior to his time with the Lions, Davis spent six seasons with the Buccaneers, winning a Super Bowl to cap a 2020 season during which he snagged a career-high four interceptions.
A second-round pick in 2018, Davis has long arms (almost 33 inches; 89th percentile among corners at the NFL Combine over the last 20 years) and figures to be a factor in press coverage when Williams and head coach Mike Vrabel want to play man-to-man in the secondary.
He ranked 20th in Pro Football Focus' wins-above-replacement stat last season, and he graded out as their 21st-best corner (out of 116 qualifiers) in 2024.
Davis isn't the only player with connections to the new Patriots coaching staff. Free-agent edge rusher Harold Landry played under Vrabel in Tennessee, and free-agent linebacker Robert Spillane played under offensive coordinator Josh McDaniels during McDaniels' time as head coach of the Raiders.
