Marcus Davenport has had an eventful offseason with respect to health in 2022, but the Saints defensive end took a significant step toward being available once again. Per a team announcement, he has been activated and was back on the practice field Tuesday.
“I want to say this was a good first day,” Davenport said, via Michael Hull of the team’s website. “It’s just one of those things on the process… I still have more to push through. At this point, I’m really just in the process of getting back, getting acclimated, seeing whatever comes up from actually playing football.”
It was revealed in June that the 25-year-old underwent a total of five offseason surgeries to fix knee, shoulder and finger issues. Those procedures added to the list of ailments Davenport has dealt with in his relatively brief NFL career; through four seasons in the league, he has played in no more than 13 contests in any one campaign.
Not surprisingly, the former first-rounder opened training camp on the PUP list. His return marks a positive development, though, as he looks to continue the form he showed in 2021. Despite playing only 11 games (and seeing the field for less than two-thirds of the team’s defensive snaps), he set new career-highs in sacks (nine) and tackles (39). Matching or improving upon those numbers would be crucial for the Saints defense.
A strong season would also, of course, do wonders for Davenport financially. He restructured his contract to help the Saints get cap-compliant, but his future beyond this season is unclear. With 2022 being the final non-void year of his contract, the UTSA alum could play his way into a significant second deal in the event of a productive (but, more importantly, healthy) campaign. Tuesday’s news is an encouraging sign that he will have the opportunity to put one together.
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