Marcus Davenport's "best fit" is with a Super Bowl contender, per PFF
The last time New Orleans Saints fans saw Marcus Davenport in action, he was ejected for throwing punches in a 10-7 loss to the Carolina Panthers. Those punches might have been Davenport's final action as a member of the Saints, as his rookie contract is officially up and he'll be free to sign elsewhere this offseason.
While Davenport's 0.5 sack seems disappointing, the former first-round pick played pretty well in 2022 and Pro Football Focus backs that up. He turned things around in his final two seasons despite looking like he was heading toward bustville after three lackluster seasons.
Speaking of PFF, they came up with the best possible fits for some of the top pending free-agent defenders. For Davenport, they said the best fit for him was with the Kansas City Chiefs.
"Although the Chiefs spent a first-round pick on George Karlaftis this past offseason, he’ll need time to develop to reach his full potential after an uneven rookie season. Kansas City's edge unit ranked 26th in pass-rush grade (61.5) this year, and with Frank Clark, who played more than 700 defensive snaps, a likely cut candidate and Carlos Dunlap, who played 571 defensive snaps, a pending free agent, the need for experience and potential will be even greater for the team this offseason."
- Jonathon Macri
Could Marcus Davenport make sense with the Chiefs?
The Saints don't have the money to keep Davenport this offseason and even if they did, I'd probably urge them to use that money elsewhere (like retaining Kaden Elliss and maybe another pending free agent or two that would be less expensive). Davenport has been a productive player but the injuries paired with the inconsistencies we've seen from him doesn't warrant a big contract.
The Chiefs have been trying to bolster their defense for quite some time now and Davenport could make a lot of sense in Kansas City in that scheme. Yes, they recently added George Karlaftis in the draft but adding Davenport only adds another pass-rusher to the mix and allows things to open up more in that department.
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I'll be curious to see where Marcus Davenport ends up this offseason.