The Detroit Lions have over 30 pending free agents to sort through this offseason between restricted, unrestricted and exclusive rights players. At or near the top of the list is cornerback Carlton Davis.

Acquired in a trade with the Tampa Bay Buccaneers, Davis had one of the best seasons of his career with the Lions, en route to stabilizing one of the boundary cornerback spots while also serving as a leader and mentor to Terrion Arnold.

But, as has been the case for his entire career, Davis wasn’t able to stay healthy, as he suffered a fractured jaw in Week 15 that ended his season early. After seven years in the NFL, Davis has never played more than 14 games in a single campaign.

Considering he’ll be one of the top cornerbacks on the free-agent market, the Lions are going to have competition for Davis’ services, assuming they are interested in bringing him back.

If Davis doesn’t return for any reason, TWSN’s Alex Frank believes the Lions will replace him with Buffalo Bills pending free-agent cornerback Rasul Douglas.

“I’ve long since been a fan of Rasul Douglas,” he wrote. “Ever since he was with the Packers, he’s been a really good playmaker at cornerback. The Lions need someone to pair with Brian Branch. Terrion Arnold is fine, but he’s still a developmental project.

“Detroit can win a Super Bowl in 2025, so they need to go all in. Douglas is a part of going all in,” Frank continued. “He has five seasons with multiple interceptions and has four interceptions in two of his last four seasons. He also has six seasons with 50+ tackles and five seasons with double-digit passes defended.

“Douglas can be the answer the Lions need in their secondary, which became their biggest need after their Divisional round loss to Washington.”

The Lions’ interest in bringing Davis back will hinge on price and their belief in 2024 second-round pick and cornerback Ennis Rakestraw Jr., who the team is hoping will take a starting role in 2025.

Rakestraw could operate out of the slot or on the boundary, and Amik Robertson can take whatever role the Missouri product doesn’t. However, if Rakestraw Jr. doesn’t have the Lions’ full confidence after not being able to show much in his rookie campaign, they may want to bring Davis back, or sign another veteran.

Douglas would be a solid insurance policy for Rakestraw JR., albeit a downgrade from Davis based on their respective coverage numbers from 2024. He has some experience playing in the slot but does his best work on the boundary.

According to Spotrac, Douglas is projected to receive a three-year, $35.7 million deal in free agency ($11.9 million annually). The Lions are projected to have $46.4 million in cap space, per Over the Cap, so they have the funds to afford that.

But, it remains to be seen if the Lions would want to pay that much for Douglas considering he may not even start in Detroit.