Buccaneers: 3 players on the verge of career-best seasons in 2021
By Rob Leeds
Carlton Davis is going to be hard to ignore on the Buccaneers in 2021
Davis is aging like a fine wine in the NFL. Every year he gets better, and 2021 should be the best season yet for Davis if the trends are any indication.
Yes, some opposing fans will point to moments against Tyreek Hill as examples of why Davis isn’t elite, but those mistakes are the outlier and not the norm, and it is also worth noting those mistakes fell on Todd Bowles far more than Davis.
Regardless of one weak game in primetime, Davis has emerged as one of the best man corners in the NFL based on a skillset that fits perfectly with the defensive system.
Davis is a bully at the line of scrimmage and great at reading the quarterback. The Bowles’ system is not for the faint of heart, but Davis has fully leaned into it, and he has put together some excellent performances against some of the best receivers in the NFL, along with some impressive stats.
2020 was a great season statically for Davis. With four interceptions and 18 passes defended, very few corners did as well while also only allowing an 87.6 passer rating.
Davis was able to accomplish all of this with a defense that was slowly starting to build its identity, which won’t be a problem in 2021.
There are a lot of big-name corners in the NFL that soak up a majority of the media coverage with their prominent personalities, but if Davis puts together another season as he did in 2020 or better, the Buccaneer corner will be a feature on many more talk shows as he nears a contract extension.