At the end of another productive practice for Marcus Davenport on Tuesday, Dan Campbell had him break down the team. It felt like a nod to his play in the early stages of camp, a small reward for his strong start. If so, "I really can’t take rewards," Davenport said. "If I do, I don't want to say bad things happen, but hey, I gotta keep my chip."
In other words: I've got a lot more to do.
Davenport knows what you're probably thinking. In some ways, he's thinking it himself. When he re-signed with the Lions this offseason on a one-year deal worth close to the vet minimum and was asked about getting another chance to team up with Aidan Hutchinson, Davenport said that he had to "shy back" from thinking about it "because I need to get on the field first and prove myself as a healthy component."
Davenport missed most of last season with a torn triceps, and most of the season prior with an ankle injury. He turns 29 in September and has three sacks to his name over the last three seasons. Hence the angst (and anger) surrounding the Lions' decision to enter another season of Super Bowl ambition with Davenport as their top edge-rusher opposite Hutchinson.
If you ask Hutchinson, Davenport is "one of the best edge rushers I’ve ever worked with." He says the two of them "have a great connection" on the field, Hutchinson as the fast, fluid force who can get the quarterback off his spot, Davenport as his big, strong counterpart who can hem the quarterback in and help Hutchinson get home.
"From a defensive end perspective, when I see Marcus on the other side of me, it’s like, I know he’s going to be hunting, too," Hutchinson said.
If you ask Brad Holmes, who's well aware of the clamor for an upgrade over Davenport, or just a surer thing like, say, Za'Darius Smith, "Marcus is the perfect person to have on the other side of Aidan in terms of his ability, how he plays the game, his length, how he can push the pocket. He’s a good athlete, he’s powerful, he’s stout."
"He just has had a lot of bad luck on the health front," Holmes said after Tuesday's practice on SiriusXM NFL Radio. "Hopefully, that better luck is on his side. But he looked great in OTA’s, he’s looked great out here."
If you ask Davenport, well, he shies back. He knows he hasn't earned the right to say he's the answer to one of the biggest questions facing the Lions this season: He's a question mark himself. Asked Tuesday if he's the forgotten piece across from Hutchinson, Davenport said, "Honestly, if y’all looking for someone, don’t look at me. Just let me be me. I’m gonna go out there, try to stay healthy and do what I can."
Don't look at me?
"I don’t really like it when people talk about me anymore, good or bad. Shoot, I got a whole different chip on my shoulder. And with every good thing, shoot, the next day people be coming at me anyway," Davenport said. "So if people can leave me alone and let me just work, I’ll be happy."
Davenport, when healthy, is a battering ram. Alim McNeill once described him as a "killer" whose aim is "running through people's faces." Graham Glasgow said "you can tell he's out there, head-butting the sh*t out of us." Taylor Decker put it in football terms: "That guy can set an edge -- like, big-time." It's why Davenport was drafted in the top half of the first round seven years ago by the Saints, when Dan Campbell was on their coaching staff.
"He’s gonna give us everything we’re looking for, and then some, on the other side of Hutch," Campbell said Tuesday on SiriusXM. "He’s put everything in to coming back, being stronger, being more stable, doing everything he can to reduce that risk of injury. I love where he's at. Fired up."
Others can do the talking. "All these injuries," said Davenport, is why he's wary of talking about himself.
"Shoot, I see a picture posted about me, I repost it, I get all these comments, I don’t even want to say I'm forgotten about -- you can’t really have relevance without being available," he said. "So, that is what that is. Right now, I just gotta do my day-to-day thing and let my work speak. I’m trying to be available every day. The games will come. If I take care of my days, then I’ll be fine."
The biggest unknowns for the Lions this season can be found on the offensive line. Their biggest unknown on defense is arguably Davenport's health. He said he feels good at the moment and didn't go any further than that, knowing all too well what tomorrow can bring.
But "if he does stay healthy," said Campbell, "there's no question" that Davenport can be an answer.