Oft-Injured Former Viking Expected to Go Back on Shelf

The Minnesota Vikings have hit some home runs in free agency of late. They have also had some significant busts. This season has been plenty more of the former. That wasn’t entirely the case last year, and one of their opponents is now dealing with a problem Brian Flores had to address a season ago.

Minnesota Vikings former edge Marcus Davenport out for the Lions

When the Minnesota Vikings signed Marcus Davenport last off-season they hoped he could pair well with Danielle Hunter. Hunter wound up racking up a whopping 16.5 sacks on the season. Davenport contributed just a pair of sacks and was more well-known for his familiarity with the training room. The Detroit Lions gave him more money this off-season, and they now get to experience the same reality.

#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. pic.twitter.com/MlPGpRuZ3f

— Ian Rapoport (@RapSheet) September 23, 2024

It’s definitely not a good thing when any player is injured. Last season though, the Vikings seemed to feel that Davenport wasn’t exactly itching to get back on the playing field. The two sides were always going to part ways, but Davenport had an opportunity to exact revenge after signing with a division rival.

Good long arm and plenty of power from Lions DL 92 Marcus Davenport. Fingers crossed that he can stay healthy and finish these plays. #OnePride pic.twitter.com/x1BjDvdSc4

— Russell Brown (@RussNFLDraft) September 10, 2024

The Lions saw a glimpse of what Davenport can do when he registered a half-sack in Week 1. The cracks then started to show, and now it appears he’ll miss a significant amount of time. Of course this is nothing new for Davenport. He has never been available for more than 15 games in a season. His 13 starts in 2019 for New Orleans are still a career high.

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Detroit hasn’t gotten off to the fast start that was expected of them, and it seems their defense still has a ways to go. Davenport being off the field doesn’t help that reality. Minnesota has plenty of time to prepare for their first game with the Lions this season as well. Following the trip to London, they return home for a bye before welcoming Dan Campbell’s club to U.S. Bank Stadium.

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Given the report of a significant injury, it seems unlikely that Davenport will be active for that contest.