When the Minnesota Vikings signed defensive lineman Marcus Davenport to a one-year deal this past offseason, they were hoping he would comprise a formidable pass-rushing duo with Danielle Hunter.
That has not happened.
Davenport has played in just four games this season due to an ankle injury, and a Minnesota reporter seems to think that Davenport is milking it.
When speaking about Davenport this week, Darren Wolfson of KSTP questioned his desire to actually get back on the field and play.
“Marcus Davenport, there has been optimism in the building going back weeks that he will be back,” Wolfson said on the SKOR North’s Mackey & Judd podcast. “He does have incentive to play. He gets paid these bonuses if he’s active, but there still is some desire questions there. … Ultimately, it’s the player. The player has to want it. There are questions about the player’s want there.”
The thing is, Davenport was a risky signing right from the beginning, so the Vikings were playing with fire when they handed him an incentive-laden deal that could reach $13 million.
While there is no doubt that Davenport has talent, he was coming off of a miserable final year with the New Orleans Saints, as he logged just 29 tackles and a half of a sack last season.
The 27-year-old, who played his collegiate football at Texas-San Antonio, was originally selected by the Saints with the 14th overall pick of the 2018 NFL Draft.
To say he has been inconsistent would be putting it lightly.
Davenport totaled 22 tackles, 4.5 sacks and a forced fumble during a respectable rookie campaign, and the following year, he showed improvement with 31 tackles and six sacks. However, in his third season, Davenport was a relative non-factor, registering 21 tackles and 1.5 sacks in 11 games.
The San Antonio native finally appeared to be breaking out in 2021 when he racked up 39 tackles, nine sacks, three forced fumbles and a fumble recovery, but since then, his production has been almost non-existent.
In the four games Davenport has been on the field in 2023, he has posted seven tackles and two sacks.
The Vikings are 7-7 and will take on the Detroit Lions this Sunday.
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