Detroit, MI
Detroit Lions land CB Carlton Davis in trade with Tampa Bay Buccaneers
The Detroit Lions traded for a new No. 1 cornerback Monday, but not the one you were thinking of.
The Lions sent a third-round pick to the Tampa Bay Buccaneers for cornerback Carlton Davis and sixth-round choices in the next two NFL drafts.
The Lions gave up their own third-round pick in the deal, No. 92 overall. They still have the Minnesota Vikings’ third-round choice, No. 73 overall, from the 2022 T.J. Hockenson trade.
Davis had two interceptions in 12 starts for the Bucs last season and has been a full-time starter since his rookie year. He allowed four touchdowns and had a 96.1 passer rating against last year, according to Pro Football Reference, but missed five games with an assortment of injuries.
MORE BUZZ: Lions’ NFL free agency rumor tracker 2024: Latest updates and analysis
At 6 feet 1 and 206 pounds, Davis, who turns 28 in December, has the size and versatility the Lions like in their cornerbacks.
He made seven tackles in the Lions’ playoff win over the Bucs in January, and was the recipient of a bone-rattling block by Craig Reynolds on Amon-Ra St. Brown’s touchdown catch-and-run in the Lions’ October win in Tampa.
The Lions had been linked to several top cornerbacks in recent weeks, including Kansas City Chiefs franchised cornerback L’Jarius Sneed and the Cleveland Browns’ Greg Newsome, as they shopped around to bolster their secondary this offseason.
Last year, the Lions ranked 30th in yards per pass play (7.15) and 27th in passing yards allowed despite signing cornerbacks Cam Sutton and Emmanuel Moseley and safety C.J. Gardner-Johnson in free agency.
SHAWN WINDSOR: Trust us: The Lions can’t get enough big men to build around
Moseley played just two snaps last season because of a torn ACL, but re-signed with the Lions last week. Gardner-Johnson played just three regular season games because of a torn pectoral muscle. And Sutton had a disappointing first year in Detroit, allowing a 112.3 passer rating against, according to Pro Football Reference.
With Davis in the fold, the Lions should have a deeper, more dynamic secondary this fall.
Davis can play either cornerback spot and should lessen the need for Sutton to guard opposing No. 1 receivers. Moseley is an upgrade at the No. 3 cornerback spot and will compete for a starting job when healthy. Brian Branch returns at slot cornerback after a standout rookie season. And Kerby Joseph and Ifeatu Melifonwu are expected back as starters at safety.
The Lions informed Jerry Jacobs, a part-time starter at cornerback last season, they do not plan to tender him a restricted free agent offer before the start of the new league year Wednesday, and Gardner-Johnson and Kindle Vildor, who finished the year as the Lions’ No. 2 cornerback, are set to become unrestricted free agents.
Davis is entering the last year of his contract and due a $14 million base salary this fall. If the Lions do not try and extend his contract, they still will have a long-term need at the outside cornerback position.
The Lions entered Monday with more than $40 million in cap space and agreed to a new three-year contract with left guard Graham Glasgow before the start of the free agent negotiating period.
They also agreed to a one-year free agent deal with Minnesota Vikings defensive end Marcus Davenport, according to NFL Network. Davenport played his first five seasons with the New Orleans Saints, including the first three when Lions coach Dan Campbell and defensive coordinator Aaron Glenn were in New Orleans.
Contact Dave Birkett at dbirkett@freepress.com. Follow him on Twitter @davebirkett.
Detroit, MI
The first Detroit Lions OC candidate has emerged
Blough is only two years into his coaching career after retiring from playing after the 2023 season. He has spent the last two seasons as the Washington Commanders’ assistant quarterbacks coach, helping young quarterback Jayden Daniels emerge as a strong franchise player for Washington. Late in the 2025 season, Commanders quarterbacks coach Tavita Pritchard took the Stanford head coaching job, leaving Blough to serve as the interim quarterbacks coach for the rest of the season.
While backing up Jared Goff in Detroit, Blough was often described by the coaching staff as an excellent backup and strong offensive mind.
“I love the kid, if I’m being totally honest with you,” Campbell said back in 2021. “He’s just a little football player. And when I say that, I mean that in the highest regard. Look, he’s smart. He’s extremely smart. He knows where to go with the football, I love his timing. He knows how to command the huddle, he communicates well and on top of that, he’s a hell of a dude, by the way. He just is. So, he has not disappointed. He’s doing a good job. He’s out there competing with the rest of those guys.”
As of now, this is the only known candidate for the Lions’ offensive coordinator position, but it’s still early in the process. When more candidates emerge, we’ll have a tracker so you can see all of the names in one place.
Detroit, MI
Popular Detroit sports columnist announces stage 4 cancer diagnosis
Longtime Detroit sports radio host and columnist Pat Caputo has been diagnosed with stage 4 pancreatic cancer, he announced Monday.
Caputo, a host on Detroit’s 97.1 The Ticket, last published a column on Nov. 7. On Monday, he explained the reason behind his absence.
“For those wondering where I’ve been: I have been diagnosed with Stage 4 pancreatic cancer, commonly referred to as a “death sentence” and had two other serious ailments which put me in ICU for several days,” Caputo wrote in a post to X. “It was sudden. I’ve literally been on my back for weeks. Bless you all.”
Caputo, 66, became a well-known personality in Detroit sports media during his time as an award-winning columnist for The Oakland Press from 1983-2020, according to the Detroit Free Press. He also was previously part of WXYT’s “Evening Sports” broadcast, and is an official voter for the Baseball Hall of Fame and college football’s Heisman Trophy award, according to his X bio.
Caputo is nicknamed “The Book” for his impressive memory retaining sports stats and information, according to FOX 2 in Detroit, where he has been a regular guest on its “Sports Works” broadcast.
Caputo’s social media announcement regarding his health drew support from fellow sports media professionals, including Brad Galli, sports director at WXYZ Detroit, and ESPN’s Dan Wetzel and Dave Pasch.
“Pat, we’re praying for [you],” Galli wrote. “Awful awful awful to read this, man. God bless you.”
“Legend. Stay strong my friend. So much support out here for you,” Wetzel posted.
“Book, praying for you my friend. So sorry to hear this,” Pasch wrote.
Detroit, MI
Murder trial starts this week in death of Detroit neurosurgeon Devon Hoover
DETROIT (WXYZ) — Desmond Burks’ murder trial starts this week. On Monday, he attended his pre-trial hearing. Burks faces first-degree murder, felony murder and larceny charges in the death of Dr. Devon Hoover.
The prominent Detroit neurosurgeon was found dead in his attic in April 2023 after Detroit police performed a wellness check. Investigators said he had been shot twice in the head and his body was wrapped in a blood-soaked carpet.
Watch Darren Cunningham’s video report below:
Trial set to begin in Dr. Devon Hoover murder case
At the pre-trial, Judge Paul Cusick set the tone for how he expects the trial to go. It could last several weeks, according to court administration.
“Obviously, there’s always been respect shown to this court by the defendant and attorneys in this case, and all of the witnesses need to show the respect that is going to be required. There will be no outburst from any witnesses or anyone else during the proceedings,” the judge said.
Cusick discussed scheduling for the trial, starting with jury selection Wednesday and outlined restrictions for news media.
“Media is prohibited from showing and/or publishing the faces of any civilian witnesses not employed by the government,” he read.
WXYZ
Those same restrictions were in place during the preliminary hearing.
At the prelim, a number of people testified that they were former lovers of Desmond Burks.
Those men and women described Burks as a hustler and said he would send them money from an unknown Cash App and then have them send the money back to his Cash App.
Watch our coverage of the third day of the preliminary hearing below:
Day 3 concludes in Desmond Burks’ preliminary hearing in murder of Dr. Devon Hoover
Burks is accused of stealing more than $30,000 from Hoover via credit card and fraudulent bank transactions, and Burks allegedly used other people to execute his plan.
Investigators said text messages revealed Burks had an intimate relationship with Hoover and was sometimes paid for sexual services.
Watch our coverage of the second day of the preliminary hearing below:
Mystery backpack focus of testimony during day 2 of Hoover preliminary hearing
Testimony from the prelim also revealed that authorities zeroed in on Burks, in part, through cellphone records and surveillance footage involving Hoover’s stolen truck.
During the trial, we may hear from a close relative of Burks who identified him in surveillance footage during the prelim. The footage allegedly shows Burks walking away from Hoover’s stolen vehicle.
Watch our coverage of the first day of the preliminary hearing below:
Preliminary hearing begins for man charged with killing Dr. Devon Hoover
The jury selection process is scheduled to start at 8:30 a.m. Wednesday.
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