After a poor Week 1, the Detroit Lions' defensive line bounced back in Week 2. Detroit recorded four sacks, seven quarterback pressures and 11 quarterback hurries against the Chicago Bears. Veteran edge rusher Marcus Davenport contributed to the defensive line's success by recording a sack.
While Davenport's big play excited the fans, it also provided some cause for concern. The 29-year-old left the content with a shoulder injury. Departing a game due to injury isn't new for the veteran, and just reignites the worries about the team relying on him for a feature role in 2025.
On Thursday, head coach Dan Campbell provided an update on Davenport during his press conference. "Davenport won't practice today and he won't know his availability for Monday until later in the week," he said, according to Lions senior reporter Tim Twentyman.
Lions DE Marcus Davenport's Status Unclear Heading Into Week 3
Davenport's injury doesn't come as a surprise to Lions fans. The veteran pass rusher has missed 45 of 116 games in his eight-year career due to injury. Last year with the Lions, he suffered a triceps injury in Week 3 that sidelined him the entire season.
This is why so many Lions fans were against bringing him back this spring. Additionally, it was the reason everyone was saying Detroit should add a veteran pass rusher in free agency. Instead, they had confidence in Davenport after he put together a strong training camp in the coaches' eyes.
The bigger issue at hand here is the fact that the Detroit front office believed Davenport would stay healthy for a year. Given his track record with injuries, people within the organization should have seen this coming. It's certainly an indictment of the front office that the fans had more foresight to see this coming than they did.
Luckily, Detroit does have someone who can step in on the short term for Davenport. Veteran pass rusher Al-Quadin Muhammad will fill that spot. Muhammad stood out to Campbell in training camp and performed well in the time he saw against the Bears.
Last week, the 30-year-old recorded one sack, one quarterback hit and one quarterback pressure in 25 pass rush snaps. If he is able to continue to make that kind of impact, he'd be a solid short-term solution for Davenport. However, if Davenport is sidelined for an extended period of time, Detroit will need to look at the remaining free agents available.
The good news is Detroit doesn't play until Monday night in Week 3, providing an extra day for Davenport to recover. That could make all the difference if he's a game-time decision. If he can't go, though, the Lions will be tasked with pressuring Lamar Jackson and trying to slow down Derrick Henry without one of their top D-linemen.