Detroit Lions fans yell out in frustration during the second half of the Detroit Lions game against the Tampa Bay Buccaneers at Ford Field in Detroit on Sunday, Sept. 15, 2024. © Kimberly P. Mitchell / USA TODAY NETWORK via Imagn Images.
That’s a wrap for ex-Minnesota Vikings pass rusher Marcus Davenport in 2024. His season with the Detroit Lions is over.
NFL Network’s Ian Rapoport tweeted Monday, “Detroit Lions pass-rusher Marcus Davenport suffered what appears to be a serious and significant elbow injury in Sunday’s game, sources say. Davenport, who put a sleeve on it and tried to return, could be lost for the season. He’s currently undergoing more tests.”
Three hours later, Rapoport followed up the foreboding tweet with a terrible confirmation: “Coach Dan Campbell has now confirmed this is a season-ending injury. Brutal.”
Prior to the season-ending injury development, Davenport banked 2 tackles and 0.5 sacks in three games as a Lion en route to a mediocre 53.4 Pro Football Focus grade. Defensive end Josh Paschal is the next man up for the Lions, a 2nd-Rounder from the 2022 NFL Draft who actually joined Detroit via draft trade with the Vikings.
Lions head coach Dan Campbell said about his team’s defensive end depth going forward: “It’s why we have the depth that we have. That’s the whole purpose of bringing in the guys we do. Paschal, this is going to be big for him. We’re going to need him to step up.”
The circumstance on Davenport is familiar — injuries are his deficiency, unfortunately. Davenport officially registered four games as a Viking last season, which was really only three because he tried to play against the Philadelphia Eagles but limped to the sidelines after one drive. He was a difference-maker for three contests and then succumbed to a high ankle sprain. No one heard from him thereafter. His 2023 contract — one year, $13 million — would’ve been more than worth it if he played, but he did not, for the most part.
Vikings fans adamantly criticized Davenport for a commitment to the team’s success after he never returned from the high ankle sprain, though the theory was never proven.
New Orleans scooped Davenport in the 1st Round of the 2018 NFL Draft, and he has played 69 games since, starting 36. He’s tallied 151 total tackles, 68 QB hits, 27 tackles for loss, 22 sacks, and 7 force fumbles in seven seasons. The knocks on his resume are durability and consistency.
Here’s Davenport’s resume from Pro Football Focus since joining the NFL six years ago:
The Vikings play the Lions in four weeks, a matchup that could temporarily decide who controls the NFC North. Minnesota sits atop the division alone through three games, though Detroit is just one game back.
The Davenport-less Lions next host the Seattle Seahawks for Monday Night Football in one week.
Dustin Baker is a political scientist who graduated from the University of Minnesota in 2007. Subscribe to his daily YouTube Channel, VikesNow. The show features guests, analysis, and opinion on all things related to the purple team, with 4-7 episodes per week. His Vikings obsession dates back to 1996. Listed guilty pleasures: Peanut Butter Ice Cream, ‘The Sopranos,’ Basset Hounds, and The Doors (the band). He follows the NBA as closely as the NFL.
All statistics provided by Pro Football Reference / Stathead; all contractual information provided by OverTheCap.com.