The New England Patriots bolstered their cornerback group during the 2025 offseason, signing veteran free agent Carlton Davis to a three-year, $54 million deal. The investment was significant, especially considering that he was not brought aboard to serve as the team’s top option at the position.
However, Davis’ role was still a valuable one and he ended up playing some quality football en route to the Patriots’ appearance in Super Bowl LX. Heading into 2026, more of the same should be on the menu for the 29-year-old.
Advertisement
Hard facts
Name: Carlton Davis III
Position: Cornerback
Jersey number: 7
Opening day age: 29 (12/31/1996)
Measurements: 6’1”, 206 lbs, 32 3/4” arm length, 79 3/8” wingspan, 8 7/8” hand size, 4.53s 40-yard dash, 34” vertical jump, 10’4” broad jump, 7.3s 3-cone drill, 4.31s short shuttle, 16 bench press reps, 6.36 Relative Athletic Score
Experience
NFL: Tampa Bay Buccaneers (2018-23), Detroit Lions (2024), England Patriots (2025-) | College: Auburn (2015-17)
One of the top prospects in the state of Florida coming out Miami Norland High School, Davis received scholarship offers from some of the most prestigious college programs in the country. His hometown Miami Hurricanes were among them, but the three-star recruit instead decided to take his talents to Auburn.
Advertisement
Davis made an impact from early in his true freshman campaign on, and after three seasons with the Tigers had 38 in-game appearances and 32 starts on his résumé. He also registered three interceptions and forced fumbles each, and was honored as an All-SEC selection in both his second and third seasons at Auburn. As a result of his success, he decided to forgo his 2018 senior year and headed for the NFL Draft.
The decision paid off: Davis heard his name called 63rd overall in the second round. He went on to spend six seasons with the Buccaneers, during which he appeared in 85 combined regular season and playoff games and helped the team win a Super Bowl. Despite his status as a starter in the Tampa Bay secondary, however, he was traded to Detroit during the 2024 offseason.
After his stint with the Lions was cut short due to injury, he left for the Patriots on that aforementioned three-year deal. Adding a combined 21 regular season and playoff games to his total, Davis now stands at 119 career appearances — all but one of them as a starter — while also intercepting 13 total passes, forcing four fumbles and recovering six.
Scouting report
Strengths: Standing at 6-foot-1 with a 79 3/8-inch wingspan and almost 33-inch arms, Davis offers tremendous length at the cornerback position. This in combination with a naturally physical demeanor allows him to get into receivers quickly and efficiently at the line of scrimmage. An able press-man cornerback who also has a proven track record in zone looks, he is capable of challenging pass catchers throughout their routes and at the catch point. His build allows him to contest catches on the perimeter and in jump-ball situations, while his awareness proves beneficial and allows for quick reaction regardless of coverage shell and assignment.
Advertisement
Davis also is as solid a run defender as the cornerback position has to offer. He attacks downhill with a purpose, and is able to fight off wide receiver blocks to get to the ball carrier. In general, Davis plays the position with a high level of intensity and swagger: he is a good overall player, and will make sure you know about it.
Weaknesses: Even though he was the top dog at cornerback in both Tampa and Detroit, Davis lacks the rare athleticism of some other CB1s (such as his new teammate Christian Gonzalez). As a result, he is susceptible to speed and quickness if unable to put himself in a winning position early in routes and win through his physicality. This also has led to some penalty issues throughout his career, including in 2025 when he was flagged a team-high 13 times.
In addition, Davis’ ball production in his first year with the Patriots was lacking. While he did get his hands on 14 passes, he intercepted only two passes all year (all of them in one game). For all his physicality, he also did not force any fumbles.
2025 review
Stats: 21 games (21 starts) | 1,168 defensive snaps (90.7%) | 89 tackles, 8 missed tackles (8.2%), 4 TFLs | 6 QB pressures (2 hits, 2 hurries) | 88 target, 52 catch surrendered (59.1%), 515 yards, 4 TDs, 2 INTs, 14 PBUs | 13 penalties (incl. 0 declined/offsetting)
Advertisement
Season recap: Coming off a season that saw him both play quality football and miss five total games due to injury, Davis tested the open market for the first time in his career in March 2025. His experience was a short one: just hours into the legal tampering period, he reached an agreement on a three-year, $54 million contract with the Patriots, following former Lions defensive line coach Terrell Williams to New England.
Even though Davis moved to Foxborough with the résumé of an established man-to-man cornerback, the Williams-coordinated defense asked him to play more zone defense. That was not the only change for the veteran, who after previously having served as a CB1 settled into the No. 2 role opposite All-Pro Christian Gonzalez. The role fit him well, though.
The Robin to Gonzalez’s Batman, Davis did not go up against the A-list of receivers his teammate faced on a seemingly weekly basis, but he nonetheless was challenged on a regular basis. In total, 88 passes were thrown his way even though only 52 ended up as completions for 515 yards and four touchdowns. Davis, whose 81.4 passer rating given up was the second best of his career, also intercepted a pair of passes.
Both of those picks came in his most memorable game of 2025. In the divisional playoff round against the visiting Texans, Davis registered one interception apiece in the first and second quarter. And even though the offense failed to take advantage, the thwarted potential Houston scoring opportunities in what was a highly-contested game particularly early on.
Overall, Davis had a good first season in New England that included some ups-and-downs especially early. His biggest problem might have been penalties, though. He was flagged 13 times, ranking first on the team in that category by a wide margin (OT Will Campbell/8) and second among all NFL cornerbacks (Packers CB Keisean Nixon/14). In total, the team lost 187 yards due to his penalized infractions.
Advertisement
On the whole, however, he was a generally reliable starting cornerback alongside Gonzalez and slot option Marcus Jones. In addition, he managed to play a full season for the first time in his career. Including the playoffs, Davis finished the year with a playing time share of 90.7%, the best of his career and an encouraging development given previous questions about his durability.
2026 preview
Position: Perimeter cornerback | Ability: High quality starter | Contract: Signed through 2027 (2028 UFA)
What will be his role? Davis has spent virtually his entire career as an outside cornerback, including his first year as a Patriot. With no major changes to the team’s coaching staff or personnel at the position, the expectation is that he will reprises his role as the team’s No. 2 at the position and perimeter starter opposite Christian Gonzalez.
Advertisement
What is his growth potential? Entering his ninth year in the league, any improvement for Davis will be marginal. The said, there is one clear area with the potential to be cleaned up: penalties. After getting flagged a career-worst 13 times, the only way appears to be up but both he and cornerbacks coach Justin Hamilton will need to find a way to play a cleaner game overall.
Does he have positional versatility? Even though he has moved into the slot on occasion and has a bit of special teams experience, Davis is not a particularly versatile player overall. The Patriots used him as such: he played 85.3% of his snaps on the outside, with the rest split between the slot and the box depending on the offensive formation. He also continued playing mostly on the defensive left, and even though his split was slightly more balanced than it had been in previous year (from 86.7% to 78.7%) he still operates mostly on one side of the field and not at all in the kicking game.
What is his salary cap situation? Entering the second year of the deal he signed last offseason, Davis is among the most expensive cornerbacks in football: his $22 million salary cap hit currently ranks fifth in the NFL at the position. The number consists of a $13 million base salary and $5.5 million signing bonus proration — both fully guaranteed — as well as likely to be earned roster ($1.28M) and workout bonuses ($225k), and play time incentives ($2M).
How safe is his roster spot? While his cap impact is significant, especially for a CB2, Davis is a safe bet to be on the roster come September. His contract structure would not necessarily prevent a cut or trade post-June 1, but neither is likely. After all, a) the dead cap hit would be fairly big ($18.5M) relative to limited net savings (ca. $2.5M), and b) there is a lack of proven competition on the roster. Add the fact that he was indeed a good player for the Patriots last season, and you should expect Davis on the field and in New England’s starting lineup this year.
Advertisement
Summary: He might not have the blue-chip talent and consistency of Christian Gonzalez or the big-play potential of Marcus Jones, but Davis has proven himself a solid addition to the Patriots secondary. There is little to suggest he won’t be that again in 2026, even though the occasional flag or touchdown reception is part of the experience.
What do you think about Carlton Davis heading into the 2026 season? Will he continue to provide a reliable presence opposite Christian Gonzalez? Will he increase his regular season ball production? Please head down to the comment section to share your thoughts.
