The Detroit Lions were in serious need of upgrading their edge rushers during the offseason, and general manager Brad Holmes made a big move by signing Marcus Davenport in free agency.
The plan was for Davenport to relieve some of the pressure on Aidan Hutchinson, who had been responsible for an eye-popping 37.4% of the team’s pressures in 2023. In their first game of the season, Davenport did exactly what the Lions hoped for—he made a significant impact with six pressures and half a sack.
It was the perfect start for Davenport, but things quickly took a turn for the worse. In the week leading up to their next game, Davenport showed up on the injury report with a groin problem and couldn’t practice. As a result, the Lions have listed him as doubtful for Week 2 against the Tampa Bay Buccaneers, which likely means he’s sitting this one out.
Unfortunately, injuries are not new territory for Davenport, and his injury history was the biggest question mark when Detroit signed him. He has never played a full season. The closest he came was in 2022 when he suited up for 15 games with the New Orleans Saints.n
Here’s a breakdown of games Davenport has missed in his career:
- 2018: 3 games
- 2019: 3 games
- 2020: 6 games
- 2021: 6 games
- 2022: 2 games
- 2023: 13 games
In 2023, Davenport missed 13 games while playing for the Minnesota Vikings. He was sidelined for two of the first six games with an ankle injury before ending up on injured reserve for the remainder of the season.
While this Week 2 absence is just one game for now, given Davenport’s track record with injuries, it’s enough to be concerning. Yes, Davenport can be an impactful pass rusher as we saw in Week 1, but that doesn’t mean much if he’s not on the field.
Brad Holmes, the Lions’ GM, needs to start exploring all available options—whether that’s picking up another free agent, making a trade, or both. The Lions can’t afford to rely solely on James Houston and Josh Paschal, especially when they have serious Super Bowl aspirations.
Trades this early in the season aren’t easy to pull off, but Holmes should definitely keep an eye on the situation between Haason Reddick and the New York Jets. Meanwhile, in free agency, someone like Yannick Ngakoue could be a great addition.
Whatever the Lions decide, they can’t count on Davenport staying healthy. A reliable and consistent pass rush is critical if Detroit hopes to live up to their Super Bowl potential in 2024.
