Marcus Davenport

Marcus Davenport (born September 4, 1996) is an American professional football defensive end who is currently a free agent. He played college football for the UTSA Roadrunners and was selected by the New Orleans Saints in the first round of the 2018 NFL draft. He has also played for the Minnesota Vikings and Detroit Lions.

Early life Davenport attended John Paul Stevens High School in San Antonio, Texas, where he played high school football. Barely recruited out of high school, he chose to play college football for the UTSA Roadrunners (UTSA) over UNLV. Davenport graduated from UTSA in 2017.

College career Davenport played at UTSA from 2014 to 2017. As a senior in 2017, he was the Conference USA Defensive Player of the Year after recording 55 tackles and 8.5 sacks. During his career, he had 185 tackles and 21.5 sacks.

College statistics Season Team Conf Class Pos GP Tackles Interceptions Fumbles Solo Ast Cmb TfL Sck Int Yds Avg TD PD FR Yds TD FF 2014 UTSA CUSA FR DE 8 5 9 14 2.5 2.5 0 0 0.0 0 0 0 — — 0 2015 UTSA CUSA SO DE 11 30 19 49 7.5 4.0 0 0 0.0 0 3 0 — — 2 2016 UTSA CUSA JR DE 13 30 37 67 10.0 6.5 0 0 0.0 0 1 1 — — 1 2017 UTSA CUSA SR DE 11 30 25 55 17.5 8.5 0 0 0.0 0 4 1 — 1 3 Career 43 95 90 185 37.5 21.5 0 0 0.0 0 8 2 — 1 6

Professional career

New Orleans Saints Davenport was drafted by the New Orleans Saints in the first round (14th overall) of the 2018 NFL draft. He was the second defensive end to be selected that year, behind only Bradley Chubb. The pick used to select Davenport was acquired from the Green Bay Packers. On May 10, 2018, Davenport signed his rookie contract with the Saints, worth $13.7 million. On June 11, 2018, it was reported that Davenport injured his thumb and that it would require surgery. In Week 3, against the Atlanta Falcons, Davenport recorded his first career sack in the victory. In Week 8, against the Minnesota Vikings, he recorded a two-sack performance in the victory. He was named to the PFWA All-Rookie Team.

In a Week 2 matchup against the Los Angeles Rams in 2019, Davenport sacked Jared Goff as the Saints lost 27–9. In a Week 5 game against the Tampa Bay Buccaneers, Davenport sacked Jameis Winston twice in the 31–24 win. In week 13 against the Falcons on Thanksgiving Day, Davenport sacked Matt Ryan twice, one of which was a strip sack that was recovered by teammate Vonn Bell, in the 26–18 win. On December 11, 2019, Davenport was placed on injured reserve with a foot injury. He finished the season with 31 tackles, six sacks, and three forced fumbles through 13 starts.

In Week 7 against the Carolina Panthers in 2020, Davenport recorded his first sack of the season on former Saints' teammate Teddy Bridgewater during the 27–24 win. He finished the 2020 season with 1.5 sacks, 21 total tackles (12 solo), and two passes defended.

The Saints exercised the fifth-year option on Davenport's contract on April 29, 2021. The option guarantees a salary of $9.5 million for the 2022 season. He was placed on injured reserve on September 17, 2021, with a shoulder injury. He was activated on October 25. He finished the 2021 season with nine sacks, 39 total tackles (23 solo), three forced fumbles, and one fumble recovery.

On June 15, 2022, Davenport announced he had undergone five total offseason surgeries: two on his shoulder and three on his left hand. One of the hand surgeries was to address a pinkie finger issue that had plagued him since college and involved a partial amputation of the finger. He finished the 2022 season with .5 sacks and 29 total tackles (16 solo).

Minnesota Vikings On March 15, 2023, Davenport signed a one-year, $13 million contract with the Minnesota Vikings. The team has listed Davenport as an outside linebacker. He suffered a high ankle sprain in Week 6 and was placed on injured reserve on October 16. He appeared in four games and had two sacks in the 2023 season.

Detroit Lions On March 13, 2024, Davenport signed a one-year deal with the Detroit Lions. The deal has a maximum value of $10.5 million, and includes a $6.5 million base salary. In a game at the Arizona Cardinals on September 22, Davenport suffered a season-ending triceps injury after three games.

On March 10, 2025, Davenport signed a one-year contract extension with the Lions. He began the year as one of Detroit's starting defensive ends. In Week 2 against the Chicago Bears, Davenport suffered a chest injury that necessitated an injured reserve placement on September 22. He was activated on November 26, ahead of the team's Week 13 matchup against the Green Bay Packers. He finished the 2025 season with one sack and 14 total tackles (six solo) in eight games.

Chicago Bears On August 17, 2026, Davenport signed with the Chicago Bears.

NFL career statistics +Regular season Year Team Games Tackles GP GS Cmb Solo Ast Sck 2018 NO 13 0 21 12 9 4.5 2019 NO 13 13 31 15 16 6.0 2020 NO 11 1 21 12 9 1.5 2021 NO 11 9 39 23 16 9 2022 NO 15 9 29 16 13 0.5 2023 MIN 4 3 7 3 4 2 2024 DET 2 1 2 1 1 0.5 2025 DET 8 7 14 6 8 1.0 Total 77 43 165 88 77 25

+Postseason Year Team Games Tackles GP GS Cmb Solo Ast Sck 2018 NO 2 0 4 3 1 0.0 2019 NO 0 0 Did not play due to injury 2020 NO 2 1 4 3 1 0.0 2024 DET 0 0 Did not play due to injury Total 4 1 8 6 2 0.0