Detroit Lions DE Marcus Davenport may have suffered a season-ending injury, per NFL Network.
Unfortunately, the Detroit Lions’ lengthy injury list from Sunday’s game against the Arizona Cardinals was not exhaustive. There was one more injury that happened, and it could be the worst of them all. According to NFL Network’s Ian Rapoport, defensive end Marcus Davenport suffered an elbow injury that could cause him to miss the rest of the 2024 season.
“#Lions pass-rusher Marcus Davenport suffered what appears to be a serious and significant elbow injury in Sunday’s game, sources say,” Rapoport tweeted on Monday. “Davenport, who put a sleeve on it and tried to return, could be lost for the season. He’s currently undergoing more tests.”
This would be a huge blow to Detroit’s improved defensive front. While Davenport only has two tackles and a 0.5 sack through two games with the Lions, he’s been integral to shrinking the quarterback’s pocket and giving others the opportunity to get to the quarterback.
Detroit also lost two other players on their starting five-man defensive front on Sunday. SAM linebacker Derrick Barnes and defensive tackle Alim McNeill were lost in the first half of the game, and while coach Dan Campbell believed Sunday night neither would be season-ending, it sure sounds like both will miss time.
“I can’t say they’re not going to be long-term, but I don’t feel like it’s something like we’re worried about season-ending,” Campbell said. “But we’ll know a lot more tomorrow on those things when we’re able to go home and check it out.”
It’s another tough blow to Davenport’s career. The former first-round pick has shown flashes of being a starting-level talent, but if these reports are accurate, it will be the second straight season of him missing the majority of the year with injury. In fact, he has only played more than 13 games in a season once in his entire career.
This offseason, the Lions signed Davenport to a one-year, $6.5 million contract, although some of that deal was tied up in in-game bonuses.
