Report: Lions Acquire CB Johnthan Banks From Buccaneers
By: Will Burchfield
@burchie_kid
In advance of Tuesday's 4 p.m. trade deadline, the Lions have made a move to shore up their secondary.
Per Adam Schefter, Detroit has acquired cornerback Johnthan Banks from the Tampa Bay Buccaneers in exchange for a 2018 seventh-round pick.
Banks will join a Lions secondary that is currently without its best player in Darius Slay. The stout cover-corner injured his hamstring in Week 7 versus the Washington Redskins and sat out Sunday's game against the Houston Texans.
The Lions' pass defense has struggled throughout the season. Detroit is surrendering 259.4 passing yards per game, which ranks 19th in the league. No team has allowed more passing touchdowns than the Lions, who have permitted 19.
In Banks, 6'2, 185 pounds, the Lions get a big-bodied cornerback who entered the league as a highly-regarded second-round draft pick in 2013. He lived up to the hype in his first two seasons, tallying 90 tackless, 15 passes defended and seven interceptions.
But his play has dropped off since, perhaps in connection to a knee issue Banks battled during the 2015 season. He didn't start a game for the Buccaneers this season and was scratched for each of their last two contests.
A Mississippi State product, Banks won the Jim Thorpe Award in 2012 as college football's best cornerback. Prior to earlier reports, he was not released yesterday by Tampa Bay.
Banks figures to be available for the Lions' Week 9 road game versus the Minnesota Vikings.
