The calendar has flipped to February, meaning there's just over a month remaining until the 2026 NFL free agency period begins. Although plenty of Detroit Lions fans are focused on the new faces that general manager Brad Holmes could target in the open market, others in the Motor City are wondering which current players will and won't be re-signed.
Due to a growing injury history and regressed performance, Marcus Davenport is one pending Lions free agent whose future will likely involve movement. All signs have pointed to a split because of those aforementioned issues; however, with the recent news that next year's salary cap could increase between $22 million and $26.5 million, some fans might wonder if a one-year 'prove yourself re-signing could be on the table.
At the same time, that doesn't mean that it should.
Lions Can't Give Marcus Davenport Another Chance Despite Potential Cap Increase
Davenport's two seasons in the Motor City can be described as frustrating, to say the least.
After amassing 23.5 sacks across six seasons with the New Orleans Saints and Minnesota Vikings, the 29-year-old disruptor has managed just 1.5 sacks with the Lions as injuries have limited him to 10 appearances. He was hit with a season-ending triceps injury after just two games in 2024 before a chest injury knocked him out of all of October and most of November last year.
Injuries aren't always a player's fault, but that doesn't mean the Lions should run things back with Davenport. Even if it's on a cheaper contract, back-to-back seasons of evidence say that he can't stay healthy in Detroit, and that concern is further justified by him averaging only 4.7 appearances since the start of 2023.
Turning 30 years old in September, there's a good chance that Davenport's body will continue breaking down as time passes. The Lions would risk clogging up a valuable 53-man roster spot by rolling the dice on him one more time, especially when it seems likelier than not that he'll miss time again.
Despite his 150 pass-rushing snaps being more than double what he saw last season (60), Davenport only generated pressure on 4.7% of opportunities compared to 11.7%, according to Pro Football Focus. Meanwhile, Al-Quadin Muhammad, who was also re-signed to a one-year deal last offseason, took advantage of Davenport's absence, posting a career-high 11 sacks.
Giving Davenport another chance would make sense if he made the most of his opportunities, but it's obvious that he doesn't bring much to the Lions' pass rush even when he's healthy.
General manager Brad Holmes is better off using Davenport's roster spot and any salary cap help to sign a pass rusher who isn't marred by as many concerns. The 2026 NFL draft will offer plenty of high-upside options, while free agency could bring low-risk, high-reward targets for the Lions to test their luck on.
In other words, more positives than negatives come from re-signing Davenport. Although it would be nice to see him return to his Saints form, the evidence that he'll never be that player again is too much to ignore. That makes it in the Lions' best interest to move on, allowing Davenport to try his hand at a turnaround with a fresh start elsewhere.