When Darius Slay returns from his hamstring injury, he'll be reunited with one of his old college teammates.
The Detroit Lions acquired cornerback Johnthan Banks from the Tampa Bay Buccaneers Tuesday, hours before the NFL's 4 p.m. trade deadline.
According to ESPN and NFL Network, the Lions sent a future draft pick to Tampa in exchange for Banks, who reportedly was informed Monday that he was being released.
The Lions have one of the worst pass defenses in the NFL. They've allowed 19 touchdowns, have just four interceptions and opposing quarterbacks have a league-high 113.7 passer rating against the Lions this year.
It's unclear where exactly Banks will slot in the Lions secondary after playing in five games, mostly on special teams, for the Bucs this year.
Slay, who missed Sunday's 20-13 loss to the Houston Texans with a pulled hamstring, and Banks were teammates at Mississippi State and second-round picks in the 2013 draft. The Lions took Slay with the 36th pick of the draft and he has gone on to become one of the best cornerbacks in the NFL. The Bucs took Banks, who started parts of his first three seasons in Tampa, seven picks later at No. 43.
Along with Slay and starter Nevin Lawson, the Lions have special-teams ace Johnson Bademosi, nickel corner Quandre Diggs and undrafted rookie Adairius Barnes at cornerback.
First-year Lions general manager Bob Quinn has now made two trades in the last week. He acquired a 2017 sixth-round pick from the New England Patriots last week in exchange for linebacker Kyle Van Noy and the Lions' seventh-rounder.
