When the regular season kicked off, the Detroit Lions were hoping that veteran pass rusher Marcus Davenport would play a significant role on defense. However, that hasn't the case so far as the veteran defender was placed on injured reserve late last month due to a chest injury.
With the Lions not having much depth at defensive end, the last thing they wanted to hear was Davenport going on IR. But the silver lining for Detroit was that Davenport wasn’t placed on season-ending IR, opening the door for a potential return in the coming weeks.
Unfortunately, Lions head coach Dan Campbell provided an ominous update on Davenport on Tuesday, which Lions fans will not love.
“He’s doing well. He’s getting better... We’re gonna be looking pretty good at the end of November,” Campbell said via Nolan Bianchi of The Detroit News.
Lions DE Marcus Davenport's Return Delayed Until End of November
Lions fans are likely not thrilled to hear that Davenport won’t be back this month and that it's looking closer to December. Detroit fans were expecting Davenport to be a starter after the team brought him back on a one-year deal, and the wait to see him in that role on a consistent basis will have to wait.
Last season, the veteran disruptor played in two games due to a season-ending triceps injury. Who knew that Davenport’s injury would be the first of many on the defense, which forced the Lions to make a trade at the deadline for Za’Darius Smith, who just retired from football on Monday.
Without Davenport on the field, the Lions have leaned on veteran Al-Quadin Muhammad, who has stepped up when called upon. Through six games, Muhammad has racked up 12 combined tackles, 11 QB pressures, nine quarterback hits, 4.5 sacks, and four tackles for loss.
The 4.5 sacks are the second most in Muhammad’s career (6 is his highest in 2021 with the Indianapolis Colts), and he’s already surpassed his sack total from last season with the Lions (three in nine games).
That said, the Lions cannot solely depend on Muhammad and Hutchinson to carry the team’s pass rush. If Davenport won’t be back until late November, Detroit should look to make a trade ahead of the Nov. 4 deadline to bring in another rotational pass rusher.
As fans saw last year and this season with this Lions’ squad, a team cannot have too much depth at various positions because injuries will happen. And the best way to protect itself is to have the necessary reinforcements ready to go at a moment's notice.