The ongoing NFL scouting combine means free agency is around the corner, with this year's tampering period starting on Monday, March 9. As excited as Detroit Lions fans are to see who general manager Brad Holmes will sign when the market opens, the 46-year-old GM must also decide the fate of his own free agents, with Spotrac listing 29 players on expiring contracts.
While some players could return to the Motor City, others are destined to play the 2026 season elsewhere. That includes veteran defensive end Marcus Davenport, who's given the Lions too many reasons to cut ties and move on this offseason.
Marcus Davenport Brings Too Many Concerns to Warrant a Lions Return
A former 14th-overall pick in 2018, Davenport spent the first six seasons of his NFL career pulverizing opposing quarterbacks for the New Orleans Saints and Minnesota Vikings before arriving in Detroit ahead of the 2024 season. He had just looked productive in a short run with the Vikings (2.0 sacks in four games), resulting in the Lions signing him to back-to-back one-year deals.
The warning signs began to appear in Year 1 with the Lions, when a season-ending triceps injury cut Davenport's campaign short at two games. Detroit saw enough to give him another contract for the 2025 season, which eventually resulted in his suffering a chest injury exactly one year after his triceps tear, causing him to miss over two months of action.
Injuries are often out of a player's control, but it's safe to say Davenport didn't make the most of his opportunities when he was healthy.
In eight games last season, the 29-year-old pass rusher mustered only six solo tackles and one sack, which came when he injured his chest vs. the Chicago Bears in Week 2. He only registered seven pressures across 150 pass-rushing opportunities, per Pro Football Focus, which is his worst rate of the last three seasons:
Season | Pass Rush Snaps | Pressures Generated | Pressure Rate | PFF Pass Rush Grade |
|---|---|---|---|---|
2025 | 150 | 7 | 4.7% | 55.8 |
2024 | 60 | 7 | 11.7% | 64.4 |
2023 | 77 | 7 | 9.1% | 60.1 |
Even though his 2023 and 2024 performances came on a relatively small sample size, the red flags are becoming too much to ignore. It's hard to have faith in a player who's missed an average of 12.3 games in the last three seasons, has never played a full campaign in his career, and will be turning 30 years old at the start of the next season.
So, for as much pass-rushing help as Aidan Hutchinson needs, the Lions shouldn't entertain the idea of bringing Davenport back. A $1.9 million projected market value by Spotrac wouldn't break the bank, but that's even too much money for a player likely to be on the sidelines more often than not, and that's without mentioning the roster spot he'd likely waste.
As great as it would've been to see Davenport turn back the clock to his nine-sack days, all signs point to that train leaving the station a long time ago. Rather than running things back, the Lions should let the injury-riddled veteran look elsewhere for a fresh start, all while they turn their attention to free agency and the 2026 NFL draft to address their pass-rushing needs.
It might be a bitter pill for Davenport to swallow, but that's just business in the NFL.