The Detroit Lions coaching staff has trust in veteran defensive end Marcus Davenport.
Even after multiple injury-plagued seasons, Detroit's new defensive line coach Kacy Rodgers and defensive coordinator Kelvin Sheppard are hoping a change in mindset and addressing the 28-year-old's recent injury history directly will result in a successful 2025 season.
Davenport was lost for the 2024 season after Week 3 against the Arizona Cardinals, further casting doubt that he can remain healthy and available for an entire season. He has yet to do so since entering the league as a first-round pick in 2018.
His elbow injury was a fluke play and not the result of a deterioration of health.
It was truly bad luck for a player that has familiarity with Dan Campbell from his time with the New Orleans Saints.
When asked by Lions OnSI why the team has confidence in his ability to produce at the defensive end position, Sheppard expressed his tape has shown that he can be a force at the NFL level.
"Because I've seen it. We all know the only obstacle for Davenport is the health and availability. It's never had anything to do with his play," Sheppard explained. "I'm talking about since he first hit the scene as a first-round pick for the Saints. It's never been his play, it's always been the availability piece. Like it is for every player. And he's had some setbacks in his career, but I've watched that player take no days off this offseason."
Improved mindset
Being away from the game for an extended period of time can impact a player's confidence.
Heading into a new season, Davenport is hoping to be available for the Lions in the postseason this year. Sheppard and Rodgers both indicated a goal has been set to work towards achieving increased availability.
Davenport has already showcased to the coaches a new mindset from observing him at the team's Allen Park Performance Center.
"He's been here just as long as the coaches have, putting in the work and his body looks different right now. I firmly believe in speaking with him his mindset is different right now," Sheppard noted. "And then, it's on me to understand what he's been through and kind of put a gauge on it, especially early in the process. When you look at Marcus, he's a physical specimen who can do some things that guys of his size shouldn't be able to do. So it's me kind of meeting him in the middle and telling him from my view, 'This is what I see for you to get to the long-term goal,' which is to have him healthy in the postseason when we hit that stretch. He's all in, but I have full faith in that player."
When asked what Davenport's new mindset looked like, Sheppard replied, "I would say the confidence piece and not holding back, not gauging, not throttling himself. Training right now like he plans on being in the season in November, December. Not kind of gauging to get there, he's training right now in preparation for, 'I'm doing this this year, I'm gonna be available.' Now, there's things that happen on the grass that you can't control. But everything within his control, he's doing everything within his ability to make sure he's available."
Rodgers, who joined Detroit from the Buccaneers coaching staff, has vowed to work with the former Saints defensive end to do everything he can to keep him healthy.
“That’s the number one thing. I talked to him about it, because that’s the thing. I told him in the first meeting, I’ve got to do everything to help him do that," Rodgers said. "This guy’s a tremendous player, it’s just as you look at his career, it’s always been, ‘He’s this, he’s this.’ If we can keep him healthy, this is another guy that stares me in the face every meeting. He’s coming in here, working. We’ve just got to do what we can to get him through 16, 17 games and see what happens. We think if he plays 16, 17 games, we’re gonna like the results.”
Rodgers noted that Davenport has been on the wrong end of the luck factor, but the tape shows a player that is dominant and able to be an asset for the Lions' defense.
Detroit has made the decision not to target a high-priced free agent defensive end with the hopes Davenport can play and execute well opposite of Aidan Hutchinson.
“Some of the things he gets hurt (on) are just freaky. I’m sitting here watching the few games before he got hurt, and he was playing dominant," Rodgers explained. "Sometimes, that’s just the way the cookie crumbles. But where I can help him, take some things off of him, ‘You get this and somebody else can get that.’ This guy’s gonna be a big asset to the team.”
