The joint practices between the Bucs and Dolphins gives players a lot of opportunities in their different situations. For many, it’s critical for them to make the 53-man roster.

In the case of established players like Carlton Davis III, it’s his first chance to face the best competition possible. Test number one was a wide receiver he’s had some playing history against – Tyreek Hill.

Davis is trying to put his name in the All-Pro cornerback conversation this season. Going up against Hill and coming out on top will only help that cause.

“He’s a different kind of receiver all around,” Davis said after Wednesday’s practice. “He brings something to the game than other receivers do. To be able to go up against him in practice, especially early on in camp, to fine tune skills and technique. It was really good today, I’m excited to go back up against him tomorrow, him and [Jaylen] Waddle. They’re just two fast, twitchy guys that you got to love and embrace going up against because there’s no other receivers in the league that can do what they do.”

Davis Flashes Playmaking Ability

And Davis didn’t just get to play against Hill. The Bucs’ No. 1 corner performed quite well against him. Early on in practice, he got the ball rolling by blanketing Hill and recording a pass breakup.

“That’s a good tone setter, starting off fresh,” Davis said. “I was ready. I’ve been up against him a couple of times in the past, so I kind of know a little bit about his release packages, what he brings to the table. At the end of the day, it’s about competing, it’s about you wanting to win and I got the best of him on that one.”

Bucs CB Carlton Davis III and Dolphins WR Tyreek Hill – Photo by: Cliff Welch/PR

The next element to Davis’ game is adding more interceptions. That’s exactly what he did in 7-on-7s by cutting off a Teddy Bridgewater pass for an interception. It wasn’t against Hill on that particular play, but it was the exact thing he’s been working on.

“It was a dig route,” Davis said when explaining the interception. “And when I play off, that’s one of the routes you should not run on me because I’m just good at playing it. I just broke on it, [saw] the ball. I didn’t see it on film so I can’t tell you blow by blow, but I just made a play on the ball – [saw] it coming and got my hands on it.”

It wouldn’t be fair to call this rematch with Hill a rebound for Davis. It’s been two seasons since they faced each other, but nonetheless, Todd Bowles was pleased with what he saw.

“I thought Carlton was very good,” Bowles said. “Carlton’s sharp, he’s in shape, he got beat two years ago. Obviously he was younger, it’s two years later. Tyreek’s gotten better, Carlton’s gotten better, I think they’re making each other better. It was good competition on both sides.”

The Previous Matchups

The last time these players met was during the 2020 season on two separate occasions. The first was a 27-24 home loss in Week 12 where Hill torched Davis and the Bucs for 13 receptions, 269 yards and three touchdowns. Davis did have a team-leading two pass breakups to go with five tackles.

The Bucs got the ultimate revenge by defeating the Chiefs, 31-9, in Super Bowl LV at Raymond James Stadium without allowing a touchdown. Hill was held much more in check, making seven receptions for 73 yards and attempting one rush for five yards as Davis recorded five tackles.

As Davis lined up against Hill again on Wednesday, he had some flashbacks to those matchups that were mostly positive. It helped him in training camp.

“That’s something that’s going to stick with you,” Davis said. “Just having an off game and then coming back and playing a great game in the Super Bowl, that’s something that’s always going to be a part of my memory just because it was a pivotal moment in the season both times for us. Going up against him today, it was a good flashback. It was fun to get out there and just face him. As a corner, I feel like you got to have that mentality to always want work, always want to go up against whoever is put to the test, whoever’s out there. It was fun.”