Remaining available deep into August generally says a lot about the appeal a player has among the 32 NFL teams. Sometimes it's just about finding the right fit, and with that in mind former Detroit Lions defensive end Marcus Davenport signed with the Chicago Bears this week.
Davenport's tie to the Bears is defensive coordinator Dennis Allen. The two overlapped for five seasons with the New Orleans Saints (2018-2022), with Allen as the defensive coordinator for the first four then the head coach for the last season Davenport was there.
So when Allen spoke to Bears' reporters earlier this week, he was naturally asked about Davenport.
"We drafted him in New Orleans. He’s always been a disruptive player. You can put on a lot of tape and see him in the backfield creating a lot of disruption.”
"Everybody talks about production. There’s a lot of hidden production in that he creates a lot of opportunities for other people. He understands our mentality and mindset for how we want to play defense, and I think he’s a good fit. Obviously, the biggest thing for Marcus, and it’s been that way throughout his career, is his ability to be healthy and maintain his health. But when he’s out there, he’s a disruptive force.”
Of course Allen's last note is well-known to Lions' fans, since Davenport played a total of 10 games over his two seasons in Detroit. Going back to the 2023 season with the Minnesota Vikings, he has played just 14 games over the last three seasons.
Injuries robbing a player of opportunities to produce is not a new concept, so Davenport lacking production over the last three seasons has that as the easy explainer. Referring back to what Allen said, there isn't a whole lot of tape from the last three seasons to show much of anything; let alone the creation of a lot of backfield disruption.
Bears fans are sure to end up disappointed by Marcus Davenport
Davenport's last mostly healthy season was actually his last under Allen, in 2022 with the Saints. Over 15 games and 490 defensive snaps, he had a half-a-sack more than you and I did sitting on our couches with 29 total tackles, two tackles for loss and eight quarterback hits.
Pro Football Focus was complementary of Davenport's work that season though, proving Allen's thought line about a fixation on production, grading him out as the 26th-best edge defender in the league out of 119 qualifiers.
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Even with Allen's noted caveat about production not always being an indicator of how well a defensive lineman is playing, with PFF proving him right, that lack of production when Davenport was last healthy for most of a season stands out.
With a still in his prime Cameron Jordan on the same defensive line, it's unlikely he was getting double-teamed a whole lot. Yet he still didn't register a full sack.
Davenport is only going to fill a rotational role in the Bears' defensive line, if he sticks and stays healthy, so expectations are pretty low right off the bat. Allen's optimism is expected, but he's also trying to talk himself into his former pupil being something he simply no longer is.
Lions' fans know disappointment with Davenport all too well, and Bears fans are going to find out the same in short order.
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