Davenport was up-and-down in his five seasons with the New Orleans Saints, and his last year there was a down one. The 2018 first-rounder from UTSA notched just 0.5 sacks in 15 games in 2022, a season after bagging nine sacks and nine other TFLs in 2021, his best season. Davenport’s 2023 was entirely forgettable for him and regrettable for the Vikings, who signed him as a free agent only to see him battle a high ankle sprain for four games and miss the rest of the season.
If there’s anything left in Davenport, Detroit does seem a good place to coax the rebound. As PFF notes,
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In New Orleans, though, Davenport proved to be a regularly disruptive defensive lineman. He generated 30 or more pressures in each of his first five seasons and especially peaked toward the end of his first contract, with an 88.8 overall grade in 2021.
The Lions’ defensive line should be formidable this year with Aidan Hutchinson, D.J. Reader and Alim McNeill, but don’t discount Davenport looking more like himself and also wreaking havoc.
While PFF didn’t list any other candidates for any of the teams, Detroit does have a couple other potential bounce-back prospects. Defensive lineman John Cominsky saw his overall play and his pass rushing productivity slip quite a bit in 2023, his second season in Detroit. Punter Jack Fox quietly had his worst season in 2023 too, finishing almost 2.5 yards per punt shy of his average over the first three years of his career.
Lions’ concern levels on defense
Interior defensive line: Medium
Alim McNeill is ascending after a career-best campaign but has to prove it was no fluke. Detroit added D.J. Reader, who can be a major difference-maker as a run defender and pass-rusher, but he has injury concerns.
The two favorites for key depth roles, Levi Onwuzurike and Brodric Martin, both have something to prove. Martin looks to be in better shape this year but played in just three games in 2023, and Onwuzurike has had injury issues. Detroit drafted Mekhi Wingo in 2024, but there’s no telling what the rookie will contribute.
Edge rushers: High
Aidan Hutchinson is one of the best young pass-rushers in the NFL and will only get better in his third year. The Lions added veteran Marcus Davenport to beef up the pass-rush but he has injury concerns.
Detroit has some solid depth pieces in guys like John Cominsky and Josh Paschal, but both can hardly carry the load if injury issues pop up. Another addition to this group would make us feel a lot better considering how important it is to get after the quarterback in this day and age.
Linebackers: None
Alex Anzalone heads this group that also includes two up-and-coming linebackers in Jack Campbell and Derrick Barnes. Campbell had an impressive rookie year and figures to take another step forward in 2024, and Barnes is coming off a career-best campaign that he has to prove is the norm moving forward. Malcolm Rodriguez is a fantastic option off the bench.
Cornerbacks: Medium
Because he plays in the slot, we’ll include Brian Branch here, even though he’s listed as a safety. Branch was excellent in his rookie campaign but had offseason surgery that could lead to his recovery taking up until the start of the season, something that’s at least a bit concerning.
Safety: Medium
Kerby Joseph and Ifeatu Melifonwu both played well last season, but Joseph had offseason surgery that will keep him out until training camp and Melifonwu has limited starting experience and an injury history.
Branch is a fantastic insurance policy, but as we discussed, he’s got to get healthy first. It certainly wouldn’t hurt for Detroit to add more depth here.
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