Carlton Davis III had a rough debut with the Lions in Week 1

Football finally returned to our lives this past weekend, and with it came the debut of some old friends in new places.

Carlton Davis III was traded to the Detroit Lions back in March, a move that was seen as a fresh start for both sides. When things were good, Davis and the Tampa Bay Buccaaneers won a Super Bowl together, but it's been a while since that happened.

In the meantime, Davis has battled injuries that have held him back. He missed 16 games over the last few seasons, and things bottomed out last year when he couldn't seem to stay healthy. As a result, his production dropped well below the elite level it once was at, and the Bucs decided to move on and try to rebuild the cornerback room without him.

That hasn't gone particularly well. Zyon McCollum, Josh Hayes, and Bryce Hall all left Week 1 with injuries and it's unclear if they'll be ready for next week. It's a game that will take the Bucs to Detroit to face their old teammate who will be looking to use a game against Tampa Bay to get his season back on track.

It was a pretty rough debut for Davis in Detroit, even if the stat sheet suggests things weren't as bad as they seemed. Davis finished second in total tackles behind Alex Anzalone, which seems good until you remember that cornerbacks making tackles means something went wrong.

The nuance of Davis' debut is the real troublesome part, though.

Carlton Davis III got off to a rough start in his debut with Lions

In the third quarter, with the Rams backed up on their on 14 yard line, Matthew Stafford hit Tyler Johnson (another former Buccaneer) for a 63-yard catch-and-run. It helped set up a field goal that sparked a run that got Los Angeles back in the game.

Guess who was on the wrong end? Davis was the player who got juked into another dimension by Johnson and allowed the big play to happen.

Later, he proceeded to drop what would have been a potential game-winning interception. Matthew Stafford threw Davis a gift, but he let it slip through his hands and hit the ground instead. Not only that, but Davis remained down for a few moments and needed to be attended to by the Lions training staff.

Bucs fans are all too familiar with this sight.

Had Davis intercepted the ball, the Lions would have been set up well within Jake Bates' range to kick a game-winning field goal in regulation. Instead, the game went to overtime where the Lions still won but it was David Montgomery who played the hero rather than Davis.

It's plays like that which frustrated Bucs fans so much the last few seasons. Davis got cooked by Brandon Aiyuk in a loss to the 49ers on a play that saw him give up a touchdown and also get hurt. That's been the experience with him recently which stinks because deep down he's a really good cornerback.

Maybe that's the guy we'll see on Sunday when Davis gets to face his old team and potentially get some revenge for being traded. If he looks anything like he did on Sunday night, though, Mike Evans and Chris Godwin might eat him alive.

More Tampa Bay Buccaneers news and rumors