Marcus Davenport sheds locks, not impatience, as he debuts with Lions' starting front four

Allen Park — The Detroit Lions’ first-team defense had a modified look during Saturday’s training camp practice, with defensive end Marcus Davenport slotting into the front four during 11-on-11 work for the first time since signing with the team as a free agent in March.

Davenport has a new look, too. The former first-round pick ditched six years of hair growth, swapping out the braids he sported for his introductory press conference, and wore as a fro during June’s OTAs, in favor of a neatly cropped style.

What hasn’t changed is how Davenport is wired. Waiting to get back on the field has been agony.

“I really have no patience,” Davenport said. “Sometimes I think that's my downfall, but it also drives me. I'm really lucky there are people here I can trust to help manage me and keep me cool.”

Under current leadership, the Lions have largely been good about managing injuries, protecting players from themselves with a conservative approach. And the training staff, which the team overhauled last offseason, has received rave reviews from players for their thorough treatment plans.

Injuries have unfortunately robbed Davenport of the momentum he had coming out of the 2021 season, when the former first-round pick racked up a career-high 9.0 sacks for New Orleans.

That plummeted to 0.5 sacks in 15 games the following year. A trio of offseason surgeries, including two on his shoulder, likely didn’t help. Still, he managed to generate 34 pressures and seven QB hits, suggesting his overall effectiveness as a pass-rusher hadn’t declined as much as the sack total implied.

After five seasons in New Orleans, Davenport earned a prove-it deal from Minnesota last offseason, but a high ankle sprain limited him to four games. He hasn’t seen game action since Oct. 15.

The next couple weeks will be about knocking off the rust, but he’s been keeping pace in the meeting room, aided by his familiarity with Detroit’s defensive scheme. That’s thanks to overlapping with coordinator Aaron Glenn in New Orleans.

“I would say it's been a big help, especially with AG and the history we've got there,” Davenport said. “Just being able to see a similar kind of defense to have a foundation, then build upon that.”

The Lions are hoping the 6-foot-6, 265-pound Davenport can serve as a complementary piece to star edge rusher Aidan Hutchinson.

“He's a big, long, athletic guy with a lot of position flexibility,” defensive line coach Terrell Williams said in June. “He has a history of playing very, very physical in this league. I mean, we've got two really big defensive ends with him and Hutch — two long, athletic dudes. That's really what we're expecting from him is to play how he looks. We're excited about that.”