Talk is cheap, and Marcus Davenport knows it. Asked Monday about getting another opportunity to team up with Aidan Hutchinson after missing almost all of last season with an injury, Davenport respectfully declined to go there. It's a long way from here.
"Every time I think of that situation, I kind of shy back because I need to get on the field first and prove myself as a healthy component," he said. "Then everything else, I think, should take care of itself."
Davenport is back with the Lions on a, well, cheap one-more-chance deal. It will only count $1.75 million against Detroit's cap, but could be worth as much as $3.65 million to Davenport if he produces. He's played in just six games the past two seasons, a torn triceps wiping out most of 2024, an ankle injury erasing most of 2023. Last year was particularly brutal.
"It was horrible," Davenport said. "Horrible. Another year of sitting out and being sidelined so early, and then just having to look at my guys take up the load that I was supposed to carry. Where do I see myself? I would say, with this many setbacks, I have to focus on today. I'm just trying to do everything I can right now to be ready and prepared."
The Lions had high hopes for the tandem of Davenport and Hutchinson last season. Davenport would be the big, powerful pocket-crushing pass-rusher to help Hutchinson get home from the other end of the line, while also setting an edge against the run. In their first game together, the duo combined for 17 QB pressures, eight QB hits and 1.5 sacks in the Lions' season-opening win over the Rams. They also helped hold star running back Kyren Williams to under 3.0 yards per carry.
But Davenport missed Detroit's next game with a groin injury, and went down for the season with the triceps the following week. The Marcus Davenport story, in three chapters.
As soon as he got hurt, Davenport decided he wanted to be back. He signed with the Lions in the first place to reunite with Dan Campbell and Aaron Glenn, two of his coaches when he broke into the NFL with the Saints. And he went on to build a high level of respect last season for Kelvin Sheppard, Glenn's replacement as defensive coordinator.
Sheppard and Glenn share a lot of traits, two former players who coach like they're still on the field. Their most obvious link, in Davenport's eyes, is a commitment to "accountability."
"That's where I think their intensity lies. When you can see someone who is accountable not only to their players but to themselves, it translates. It makes you, I don't know, more receptive," Davenport said. "Just from seeing him and watching him, he's one of those guys you can trust. I think that's where his greatness lies."
For Davenport, "there hasn't been much doubt on where I wanted to be." He told the coaches as much at the end of last season. It's not necessarily about "unfinished business," he said, or the idea that he has to "prove it to other people or the fans." It boils down to this: "I wouldn't want to leave without being the person they can rely on."
"I just really wanted the opportunity," Davenport said. "Sometimes you talk about testing the market. It sounds bad -- I hope they don't take anything away from me -- but I didn't care. I just wanted to play."
Davenport turns 29 in September. He's entering year seven of his career, a long way removed from being the No. 14 overall pick, four years removed from putting up nine sacks in 11 games in his fourth season with the Saints. At the time, it felt like his breakthrough. In hindsight it looks like a blip.
But the traits are in there, and the Lions are giving him another chance to bring them out. Davenport said his body feels "amazing." In fact, thanks to his ongoing work with the Lions' training staff, "I feel at my best." Your skepticism is understood. Davenport gets it. The season is still six months away, which is why he doesn't want to peer into the future. What matters is how he feels in September, and how he plays -- if he plays -- from that point forward.
"The biggest thing, especially from missing these years," he said, "would be consistency in work. ... I just know that the only thing that can make me feel better at this point is reps."
Two years ago, Davenport signed with the Vikings for $10 million guaranteed. The Lions guaranteed him $3 million last year, $1.65 million this year. Fact is, Davenport can't guarantee them that he'll play. It's not a stretch to think that this could be his last real chance in the NFL. The Lions are betting that he'll deliver, "which gives me that comfort to continue to up my game and myself and my preparation," Davenport said.
"Beyond that, man, I'm just excited to even be here," he said. "It's always a blessing that someone has some faith in you."