Detroit Lions fans are patiently waiting for veteran defensive end Marcus Davenport to return from a shoulder injury that he sustained in Week 2 and that placed him on injured reserve. It was the last thing that Davenport wanted to hear, as he missed most of the previous season because of a triceps injury.
Despite only playing in two games, the Lions decided to re-sign him to a one-year, $2.5 million extension this offseason in hopes that he would be a contributor. Thus far, that hasn’t happened, but on Tuesday morning, Lions head coach Dan Campbell provided an optimistic update on the veteran pass rusher, who could return this week.
“We’re hopeful. We’re hopeful. He looked really good last week,” the Lions head coach said on the Costa & Jansen Show with Heather (h/t Jeremy Reisman of Pride of Detroit). “We’re getting him some walkthrough reps. We did yesterday, we’re getting him some today.”
"We’ll see, it’s just a matter of us saying, ‘Alright, is he ready for this, not being in a practice setting this week, getting ready to go?’ Campbell continued. Now, he did last week, and that’s ultimately what it’ll come down to. How does he feel? Does he feel like he can do this, and he’s ready to go? Does he need one more week to get ready for Dallas? So we’re still talking about all of that, but I do like where he’s at for sure."Lions head coach Dan Campbell
Detroit has leaned heavily on the trio of Aidan Hutchinson, Al-Quadin Muhammad, and Tyler Lacy without Davenport. Those guys have held it down, but adding a guy like Davenport, who has 25 career sacks, could make a difference in the push for a playoff spot.
Marcus Davenport Likely Playing for His Job with Return Looming
That said, once the veteran defensive lineman does return, whether it be this week or next, the pressure will be on him to perform.
As we previously alluded to, the Lions signed Davenport to a one-year extension this offseason, even though one could make the case that Detroit could’ve signed someone else.
The 29-year-old defensive end must hit the ground running, showing the Lions that he’s worth bringing back for another year, along with the rest of the NFL. Before he got hurt, Davenport had five combined tackles, a tackle for loss, a quarterback hit, a QB pressure, and a sack.
If you’re Lions defensive coordinator Kelvin Sheppard, you would like to see Davenport end the year with maybe 3 or 4 sacks as he gets integrated back into the rotation.
Given his recent string of injuries over the last few years, Davenport is entering injury-prone territory, hence the one-year prove-it deal. Therefore, if he can’t get at least a few sacks and make his presence felt with pressures, the Lions shouldn’t think twice about bringing him back.
They could find his replacement in the draft, which the Lions would be wise to address the DE spot, or Detroit could take another swing at another veteran in free agency.
As for Davenport, teams might be hesitant to offer him a deal this upcoming offseason due to his injury concerns and lack of production. He could be in a similar situation that we saw with other veteran defensive ends, who didn’t get signed until the start or middle of the season.