The New England Patriots made some major additions in free agency, particularly on defense. Milton Williams became the highest-paid player in team history at $26 million per season, while they also shelled out major deals to Harold Landry and Robert Spillane.
One of the more notable deals not only for the Patriots but for the entire offseason was their signing of Lions cornerback Carlton Davis. While Davis seemed like a perfect complement to Christian Gonzalez, things haven't worked out as such.
According to PFF, Davis ranks 113th among all cornerbacks with a 54.9 overall grade, and his 50.8 coverage grade sees him come in at 127th. He's been penalized four times in the last four games, and quarterbacks have a 107.7 passer rating when targeting him. In other words, if a quarterback were to target Davis every play for an entire season, he'd have the seventh-best rating in football, better than Matt Stafford, Josh Allen, Daniel Jones, and Patrick Mahomes.
One would expect things would have improved with the return of Gonzalez to the lineup, but Davis has, in fact, played worse since the former Oregon Duck returned from injury. In the first three games, he allowed a sub-57% completion rate, but in the last two, opposing QBs are 6/7 when looking Davis's way.
By PFF's metrics, this is the worst season in his career, and it comes right after signing a three-year deal worth $18 million per season.
The Patriots might already regret signing cornerback Carlton Davis III in free agency
Of course, it's easy to say now, but Davis likely wasn't the best cornerback option on the market. The top three corners set to hit free agency were the 49ers' Charvarius Ward, Jets starter D.J. Reed, and Davis. Ward went to the Colts, Reed to the Lions, and Davis signed with New England.
Ward got the same contract as Davis, with slightly more guaranteed money and a larger signing bonus, while Reed's contract paid him $16 million per season compared to the $18 million the other two got. Now, it's looking like Davis has the worst contract of the three.
Ward has been outstanding for the Colts as their new No. 1 cornerback: his 83.4 PFF grade ranks him third among all players at the position in the league. Reed has a solid 71.8 grade and ranks seventh in the league in run defense.
While not targeting Reed has merit, given his size (5'9" compared to Davis's 6'1"), not targeting Ward harder seems to have been a mistake. Although the contract was slightly more expensive, he has a better track record than Davis. Davis spent six seasons with the Buccaneers and one with the Lions, and never played 17 games.
Furthermore, the Lions letting him leave after he finished his one-year deal in favor of Reed is indicative of how replaceable the team thought him to be.
It appears shelling out big-time money to a cornerback who has been consistently unavailable may not have been the best move. We'll have to see if the eventual return of Terrell Williams as the play caller will help Davis. Before Williams' cancer diagnosis and subsequent stepping back from play-calling duties, Davis was playing better than he has in the last two weeks.
Hopefully, the high-priced free agent can return to the strong level of play he showed in Detroit last year.