The cornerback class in free agency this year was … mediocre at best.

The Chicago Bears made sure their talented, young cornerback Jaylon Johnson never got to free agency, locking him up with a long-term deal. The Kansas City Chiefs slapped the franchise tag on their No. 1 corner, L’Jarius Sneed, content to trade him if that’s how things shake out. And a couple proven but aging third-contract corners are still on the market — or still waiting to hit the market — a day into the free agent negotiating period.

So Brad Holmes did one of the things he’s done best in the three-plus years since he was hired as Lions general manager. He improvised. He consummated a trade, without mortgaging any sliver of the Lions’ future. And he upgraded the roster with a player younger and better than just about anyone on the market at that position.

Carlton Davis isn’t an All-Pro defensive back. He won’t single-handedly transform the Lions secondary into an impenetrable force. He has nine career interceptions and has never played a full season because of injuries.

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But he’s a very good player, above average by NFL cornerback standards, and by acquiring him for the reasonable cost of a late third-round pick (while getting two sixth-round choices back in return), Holmes made the Lions a better football team.

The Lions were never going to be huge spenders in free agency. That’s not Holmes’ M.O. as GM, and he made clear that was going to change this spring, even with plenty of cap space available.

They’ve built too good a roster and have too many future commitments on the horizon to risk sinking big money into players they can’t be certain will be cornerstones for years to come.

I liked the thought of trading for Sneed, who was on my ballot as a second-team All-Pro cornerback this year. I was surprised it took so little — a second- and fifth-round pick, plus a huge contract — for the New York Giants to wrangle talented pass rusher Brian Burns from the Carolina Panthers.

The Lions were a half of even mediocre football away from making the Super Bowl last season, and I’m generally of the belief teams should try and maximize their window of contention when they have the opportunity.

But I’ve always believed (and write almost annually) that free agency is fool’s gold and those who chase it usually go bust.

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Holmes has never succumbed to the urge to spend frivolously on big-ticket items in free agency, knowing full well there’s a reason their former teams set them out by the curb.

He made two bad free agent receiver signings his first year as Lions GM, but neither mattered in the long run because both were on one-year deals. In 2022 he spent most of his free agent dollars on familiar faces like Tracy Walker and Charles Harris. And last year, he added three defensive backs in free agency, but only one — Cam Sutton — got a multi-year deal.

Sutton did not have a great first season in Detroit. He was burned repeatedly late in the year when asked to cover opposing teams’ No. 1 receivers and he finished with an abysmal 112.3 passer rating against, according to Pro Football Reference.

But his struggles were partly a product of game plan — defensive coordinator Aaron Glenn relied heavily on the blitz in the second half of the season to pressure opposing quarterbacks — and the Lions had few other options at outside cornerback. Emmanuel Moseley played two snaps because of a torn ACL. Jerry Jacobs went in the tank midseason. And Kindle Vildor finished the year as the team’s No. 2 cornerback.

At a minimum, Davis should expand the Lions’ options in the secondary this fall. He can play as the team’s No. 1 cornerback with his size and length, which allows Sutton to play the role he’s more suited for at No. 2. Throw in Moseley as veteran insurance and a talented group of safeties, and the Lions suddenly look serviceable or better in the back end.

The Lions stayed out of the headlines early Monday when most of the big free agents came off the board, to the point people on social media and talk radio were wondering if Holmes was asleep at the wheel.

The Minnesota Vikings lost quarterback Kirk Cousins in free agency, then turned around and spent like they won the lotto, signing pass rushers Jonathan Greenard and Andrew Van Ginkel and one of the best off-ball linebackers on the market Blake Cashman.

The Green Bay Packers, who the joke was used to vacation in mid-March every year, spent frivolously on a running back, of all positions, and brought in a new starting safety to replace the one they lost.

Holmes and the Lions laid low like they usually do and left the first day of free agency with still the best roster in the division and plenty of money left to spend.

They won’t use it all, of course, even though they have moves left to make. And there’s no guarantee they’ll be back atop the division next year. But nothing that happened Monday should make anyone think otherwise, given Holmes’ record of success.

Contact Dave Birkett at dbirkett@freepress.com. Follow him on Twitter @davebirkett.

This article originally appeared on Detroit Free Press: Detroit Lions' Brad Holmes makes winning move with Carlton Davis trade