Carlton Davis 'Fits Perfect' with Lions' Secondary

Carlton Davis has the potential to become lockdown cornerback in Detroit.

Detroit Lions defensive coordinator Aaron Glenn / Kimberly P. Mitchell / USA TODAY NETWORK

The Detroit Lions have potentially found a defensive back with the potential to win battles consistently against top NFL wide receivers.

Carlton Davis is a veteran cornerback who caught the attention of Detroit's coaching staff last season, as the Buccaneers faced the Lions in the regular season and in the playoffs.

Davis, speaking to reporters after a solid OTA practice, expressed his admiration for Detroit's defensive coordinator Aaron Glenn.

“Man, just him as a person. He’s so energetic," Davis said of Glenn. "I’ve never had a DC like him who’s just so into it. You really feel he’s in the play with you. He’s on the field, coaching up. Anything goes wrong, he’s attacking it. He’s not passive at all and I love that. But, he’s not like an asshole coach, he’s a good guy and he really wants the best for you.” 

With Davis having the strong desire to play press-man from the corner spot, Detroit's defense is poised to be able to accomplish feats that were quite difficult in years past. It meshes well with Glenn's style.

“That’s what I love. That’s his identity and that’s my identity since I came into the league. I’m a man-to-man corner," said Davis. "I like to go up there, press you, lock you down. And, he loves that, too. So, we can be the best of friends, honestly.” 

Glenn has kept tabs on Davis since the cornerback entered the league. First, Davis and Glenn were rivals in the NFC South while they were with the Buccaneers and Saints, respectively. Now, they're working together to make Detroit's defense the best it can be.

"I’ve been knowing about this player since he came out of Auburn. He’s been a player that wants to get in somebody’s face and challenge," Glenn said. "There’s nothing changed about that. He did while he was in Tampa. I know he expects to do the same things here, so he fits perfect with what we’re trying to do.” 

At the team's Allen Park practice facility, Davis was enforcing his will against Jameson Williams, making the young receiver's day quite challenging.

Glenn expressed to reporters why he likes to deploy an aggressive man-to-man coverage style within his group. It, in fact, matches the intensity and physicality he enjoyed as a player.

"Man, it’s smothering when it comes to defense, and that’s who I am as a coach. I like to smother the offense," Glenn said. "I like to blitz, I like to get up on the offense. But, listen, I’m not sitting here saying we’re gonna blitz every time, it’s just a part of what we do. It’s a part of our personality. And also, it’s a part of the guys that we have.

“Just more aggressive and it’s a challenge mentality. In this league, man, you just don’t want to sit back and allow a quarterback to just dink and dunk. There are times where you can do that, and there are other times, you’ve got to get up there and cause havoc and put pressure on the offense.” 

For Williams, a third-year wideout who has been named as the most improved player by Dan Campbell, facing off against Davis is a challenge he enjoys.

 "It's good. It's only been three days. I've been going up against him every single time. It's been good work. He's really good on the press (coverage). Nobody likes the press but when he presses, it's real good work," Williams said. "Even his feet, how he plays, everything, his patience and the whole way he plays the game, it's good. I like going against him. I've went against him a couple times these last three days, this whole week. It was good work, both ways."