Lions activate DE Marcus Davenport from IR

Injuries have played a significant role in Davenport’s NFL career to this point. Now in his eighth year in the league, Davenport has never appeared in every game for the season. Despite some offseason surgery after his rookie year with the New Orleans Saints, Davenport stayed relatively healthy throughout most of his first two years as a pro. He missed three games as a rookie then started every game of his sophomore campaign up until he suffered a foot injury that put him on IR for the final three games of the year.

He got a late start to the 2020 season, missing the first four games of the season, and as a result, he came off the bench for much of the year behind Cam Jordan and Trey Hendrickson. At this point in his career, Davenport has shown flashes but only totaled 12.0 sacks in three years. The Saints showed their confidence in Davenport, exercising his fifth-year option, and he returned to more of starting role the next year, rewarding the team’s faith with a nine-sack performance. Those sacks came despite the fact that he missed six games in 2021, including four from an IR stint due to a shoulder injury.

Davenport underwent five offseason surgeries before playing out his fifth-year option, including a partial amputation on one of his fingers, but he appeared in career-high 15 contests, starting nine of them. While his attendance was much improved, his production was not. In his contract year, Davenport logged only half of a sack. This led to him signing a one-year, $13M prove-it contract with the Minnesota Vikings in 2023, and a high ankle sprain ended his year in Minnesota after appearing in only four of the first six games.

That led to his current two-year stay in Detroit which has seen him and several other Lions pass rushers plagued with injuries. It looked at the start of the year that Davenport and star pass rusher Aidan Hutchinson would shake off their prior year injuries, and Davenport will get another chance to that as he returns to the active roster. During Davenport’s absence, outside linebacker Derrick Barnes (4.0 sacks) and defensive end Al-Quadin Muhammad (6.0) have filled in admirably opposite Hutchinson (8.5).

The Lions made several roster moves while activating Davenport from IR. They also activated LSU fifth-round offensive guard Miles Frazier from the reserve/physically unable to perform list, where he started due to a knee injury. To make room on the 53-man roster, they waived backup running back Craig Reynolds. Detroit signed tight end Anthony Firkser and wide receiver Tom Kennedy to its practice squad and designated center Kingsley Eguakun and tight end Zach Horton as standard gameday practice squad elevations for its Thanksgiving matchup against the Green Bay Packers.