Pride of Detroit
With the Detroit Lions on break this week, we felt it was as good of a time as any to check in on some former Lions who are playing elsewhere. The purposes of this is to check in on some players we were fans of last year, and also to determine if Detroit made the right move to part ways.
Let’s jump right in by starting with some of the more difficult financial decisions the Lions had to make in the offseason.
CB Carlton Davis — Signed three-year, $54 million deal with Patriots
Davis was the Lions’ biggest loss this free agency, although Detroit compensated by signing D.J. Reed to a three-year, $48 million deal—saving some dough in the process.
Davis, now with the 5-2 Patriots, has had a bit of a quiet start to the 2025 season. After finishing last year with 11 pass breakups in 13 games for Detroit, he only has two in seven games with New England. For what it’s worth, his PFF grade has also taken a significant hit, going from 74.5 with Detroit to just 51.8 with the Patriots—ranking 74th out of 88 cornerbacks with at least 200 defensive snaps. Reed currently has a 71.8 PFF grade, good for 13th.
G Kevin Zeitler — Signed one-year, $9 million deal with Titans
Zeitler, too, has seen his production dip since leaving Detroit. In Tennessee, he’s still sporting a respectable 69.0 PFF grade, but that’s down significantly from his excellent 86.5 grade in 2024 with Detroit. Of course, he went from playing between two All Pros in Detroit (Frank Ragnow, Penei. Sewell) to playing between Lloyd Cushenberry and second-year tackle JC Latham.
S Ifeatu Melifonwu — Signed one-year, $3 million deal with Dolphins
Melifonwu has played in six of seven games for Miami—missing one with injury—but has only started two games for the Dolphins. He’s behind the two starters on the depth chart, but he has been getting subpackage work in most games.
On a total of 154 defensive snaps, Melifonwu has 17 tackles, two pressures, and a 52.2 overall PFF grade.
TE James Mitchell — Signed one-year, $1 million deal with Panthers
The Lions’ former fifth-round pick now resides with Carolina, where he’s made three game appearances for the Panthers—averaging a tad over dozen offensive snaps per game. He’s caught three passes for 28 yards. Mitchell is considered the fourth tight end on the Panthers’ roster, but as a team that utilizes three tight end sets more than the average team, it’s afforded him some opportunities to get on the field.
CB Kindle Vildor — Signed one-year, $1.3 million deal with Buccaneers
Vildor was inactive for last week’s game against the Lions, but the veteran cornerback had previously made three game appearances for Tampa, and even scored himself his first interceptions since 2022.
In total, Vildor has played 72 defensive snaps for the Bucs, earning eight tackles, two pass defensed, and a 65.5 PFF grade.
WR Tim Patrick — Traded to Jaguars
After struggling in...
