Saints’ Marcus Davenport took an L this offseason but he’ll bounce back
By Kristen Wong
Give New Orleans Saints’ Marcus Davenport the award for the freakiest offseason ever. Davenport went to hell and back this summer, but he should be ready to dominate in 2022.
The 2018 first-rounder dealt with a nagging shoulder injury in the 2021 season, and this offseason he underwent two surgeries to repair it. That’s not all, though — Davenport also reportedly had three surgeries on his left pinky finger that resulted in the top of the pinky being amputated.
His pinky was now down to a “nub,” as Davenport told reporters on Wednesday. Gnarly.
Apparently, Davenport suffered a injury while playing football in college and needed to amputate his pinky due to a recurring infection.
On top of all that, Davenport is also expecting his third child in July, so at least there’s some good news in store for him this summer.
Marcus Davenport has dealt with some crazy stuff this off-season. Had to amputate part of his left pinky due to a recurring infection from a broken plate that dates back to a football injury in college. This required multiple surgeries this spring in addition to shoulder surgery
— Katherine Terrell (@Kat_Terrell) June 15, 2022
Been a pretty eventful off-season for Davenport! He is expecting his third child (first daughter) in July. He seems pretty upbeat considering the circumstances. Said he didn’t think missing part of the finger would bother him on the field, since it was already kind of disabled
— Luke Johnson (@ByLukeJohnson) June 15, 2022
Saints’ Marcus Davenport suffered a gruesome finger injury this offseason
Wherever Davenport goes, the injury bug seems to follow. In his four years in the league, Davenport hasn’t played a single full season due to various injuries and had two stints on injured reserve, but he remains one of the team’s most promising breakout stars in 2022.
With Cam Jordan on the backend of his career and Payton Turner still learning the ropes, Davenport has long been touted as NOLA’s next great pass-rusher, but he hasn’t quite lived up to his potential.
In 2021, Davenport put together a semi-productive season with 39 tackles, nine sacks, three forced fumbles, and a fumble recovery in 11 games, all career-highs. The looming question heading into 2022 is whether Davenport can stay healthy for the entire year, as Davenport can’t work on improving his game if injuries keep coming back to haunt him.
Dennis Allen has tentatively stated he expects Davenport to recover in time for training camp, and it goes without saying this year is a make-or-break season for the young edge-rusher. Davenport is entering 2022 on the final year of his rookie deal, and a breakout performance could convince New Orleans to sign him long-term.
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First things first, though, he has to stay healthy. Given Davenport’s injury-prone record, that’s no easy feat.