Detroit Lions defensive end Marcus Davenport is moving beyond injuries, and trying to expand his game toward greatness.
New Detroit Lions defensive end Marcus Davenport used one simple word when describing his pass rushing style.
“Violence.”
It doesn’t take long to look at his film and come to the same conclusion. At a massive 6-foot-6, 265 pounds, and with an impressive athletic build profile to boot, Davenport has made a living in the NFL bowling over offensive linemen in utterly comical fashion.
Some of Marcus Davenport’s wins will have you CACKLING. pic.twitter.com/eHMTSolBQ4
— Jeremy Reisman (@DetroitOnLion) March 13, 2024
Davenport noted that even Lions general manager Brad Holmes brought up Davenport’s physical playstyle when talking about why he was brought to Detroit.
“He said, ‘I’ve watched your games and we can tell that you’re one of those guys that really appreciates the game and you try to put it out there. You’re a physical player.’”
But this is the NFL. Brute strength can only get you so far. He had a dominant 2021 season, tallying 9.0 sacks, 42 pressures, and a PFF pass rushing grade of 82.0, but he’s struggled to find that level of success again. And while Davenport’s signature move has certainly been speed-to-power, he knows there’s still plenty of room for him to grow and he doesn’t plan on resting on his laurels.
“If the violence ain’t working, I’m trying to win,” Davenport said. “If finesse ain’t working, I’m trying to win. I know before, at times, I’ve gotten caught up on trying to beat the man, but there’s way more important things than just beating offensive tackles or whoever’s in front of me. There’s affecting the game, there’s strip-sacks, there’s disruptions, it’s about time to evolve.”
He’ll have the opportunity to evolve in Detroit, being suddenly surrounded by an intimidating defensive line. He’ll play next to Alim McNeill and newly-added nose tackle DJ Reader —arguably two top-10 defensive tackles. And on the opposite side of the field, he’ll have the NFL’s 2023 pressure leader Aidan Hutchinson.
“There’s a lot of ballers,” Davenport said. “Just to get ‘em all under one roof, I think we’re all gonna have a great opportunity to eat.”
One more thing Davenport will have to overcome, though, is injuries. He has only played more than 13 games in a season once, and he’s coming off a year in Minnesota in which an ankle injury held him out for 13 games.
But Davenport isn’t dwelling on the past. Instead, he’s used the frustration and disappointment as a learning lesson he plans to use going forward.
“I didn’t get to play as much as I wanted and I wasn’t there to be able to help my team and help the guys that I had grown close to, but it’s a step,” Davenports said. “And those are steps I had to take. With that behind me, I’m trying to use that to catapult me into greatness.”