Marcus Davenport (born September 4, 1996) is an

American football American football (referred to simply as football in the United States and Canada), also known as gridiron, is a team sport played by two teams of eleven players on a rectangular field with goalposts at each end. The offense, the team with ...

defensive end Defensive end (DE) is a defensive position in the sport of gridiron football. This position has designated the players at each end of the defensive line, but changes in formation (American football), formations over the years have substantially ...

for the

Detroit Lions The Detroit Lions are a professional American football team based in Detroit. The Lions compete in the National Football League (NFL) as a member of the National Football Conference (NFC) North Division. The team play their home games at Ford ...

of the

National Football League The National Football League (NFL) is a professional American football league that consists of 32 teams, divided equally between the American Football Conference (AFC) and the National Football Conference (NFC). The NFL is one of the ...

(NFL). He played

college football College football (french: Football universitaire) refers to gridiron football played by teams of student athletes. It was through college football play that American football rules first gained popularity in the United States. Unlike most ...

at UTSA and was drafted by the

New Orleans Saints The New Orleans Saints are a professional American football team based in New Orleans. The Saints compete in the National Football League (NFL) as a member of the league's National Football Conference (NFC) South division. Since 1975, the te ...

in the first round of the

2018 NFL Draft The 2018 NFL Draft was the 83rd annual meeting of National Football League (NFL) franchises to select newly eligible players for the 2018 NFL season. The draft was held on April 26–28 at AT&T Stadium in Arlington, Texas; it was the first draft ...

Early years

Davenport attended

John Paul Stevens High School John Paul Stevens High School is one of nineteen public high schools in the Northside Independent School District in San Antonio, Texas, USA. The campus is located near SeaWorld San Antonio. As with all Northside ISD schools, the school is named ...

San Antonio, Texas ("Cradle of Freedom") , image_map = , mapsize = 220px , map_caption = Interactive map of San Antonio , subdivision_type = Country , subdivision_name = United States , subdivision_type1= State , subdivision_name1 = Texas , subdivision_t ...

, where he played

high school football High school football (french: football au lycée) is gridiron football played by high school teams in the United States and Canada. It ranks among the most popular interscholastic sports in both countries, but its popularity is declining, part ...

. Barely recruited out of high school, he chose to play

University of Texas at San Antonio The University of Texas at San Antonio (UTSA) is a public research university in San Antonio, Texas. With over 34,000 students across its four campuses spanning 758 acres, UTSA is the largest university in San Antonio and the eighth-largest by ...

(UTSA) over

UNLV The University of Nevada, Las Vegas (UNLV) is a public land-grant research university in Paradise, Nevada. The campus is about east of the Las Vegas Strip. It was formerly part of the University of Nevada from 1957 to 1969. It includes the S ...

. 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 Conference USA (C-USA or CUSA) is an intercollegiate athletic conference whose current member institutions are located within the Southern United States. The conference participates in the NCAA's Division I in all sports. C-USA's offices are l ...

Defensive Player of the Year after recording 55 tackles and 8.5 sacks. During his career, he had 185 tackles and 21.5 sacks.

Collegiate statistics

Professional career

New Orleans Saints

Davenport was drafted by the

in the first round (14th overall) of the

. 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 The Green Bay Packers are a professional American football team based in Green Bay, Wisconsin. The Packers compete in the National Football League (NFL) as a member club of the National Football Conference (NFC) NFC North, North division. It ...

. 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 The Atlanta Falcons are a professional American football team based in Atlanta. The Falcons compete in the National Football League (NFL) as a member club of the league's National Football Conference (NFC) South division. The Falcons joined th ...

, Davenport recorded his first career sack in the victory. In Week 8, against the

Minnesota Vikings The Minnesota Vikings are a professional American football team based in Minneapolis. They compete in the National Football League (NFL) as a member club of the National Football Conference (NFC) North division. Founded in 1960 as an expansion ...

, he recorded a two-sack performance in the victory. In a Week 2 matchup against the

Los Angeles Rams The Los Angeles Rams are a professional American football team based in the Los Angeles metropolitan area. The Rams compete in the National Football League (NFL) as a member of the National Football Conference (NFC) West division. The Rams play ...

in 2019, Davenport sacked

Jared Goff Jared Thomas Goff (born October 14, 1994) is an American football quarterback for the Detroit Lions of the National Football League (NFL). He played college football at California, where he set the Pac-12 Conference season records for passing ...

as the Saints lost 27–9. In a Week 5 game against the

Tampa Bay Buccaneers The Tampa Bay Buccaneers are a professional American football team based in Tampa, Florida. The Buccaneers compete in the National Football League (NFL) as a member club of the league's National Football Conference (NFC) NFC South, South divisio ...

, Davenport sacked

Jameis Winston Jameis Lanaed Winston ( ; born January 6, 1994) is an American football quarterback for the New Orleans Saints of the National Football League (NFL). He played college football at Florida State, where he became the youngest player to win the He ...

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 Vonn Christian Bell (born December 12, 1994) is an American football safety for the Cincinnati Bengals of the National Football League (NFL). He played college football at Ohio State and was drafted by the New Orleans Saints in the second round ...

, in the 26–18 win. On December 11, 2019, Davenport was placed on

injured reserve The injured reserve list ( IR list) is a designation used in North American professional sports leagues for athletes who suffer injuries and become unable to play. The exact name of the list varies by league; it is known as "injured reserve" in th ...

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 The Carolina Panthers are a professional American football team based in Charlotte, North Carolina. The Panthers compete in the National Football League (NFL), as a member club of the league's National Football Conference (NFC) South division. T ...

in 2020, Davenport recorded his first sack of the season on former Saints' teammate

Teddy Bridgewater Theodore Edmond Bridgewater Jr. (born November 10, 1992) is an American football quarterback for the Miami Dolphins of the National Football League (NFL). Born and raised in Miami, Florida, he graduated from Miami Northwestern high school. Br ...

during the 27–24 win. 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. 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.

Minnesota Vikings

On March 15, 2023, Davenport signed a one-year, $13 million contract with the

. 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, 2023.

NFL career statistics

References

External links

Minnesota Vikings bioUTSA Roadrunners bio
{{DEFAULTSORT:Davenport, Marcus 1996 births Living people American football defensive ends American football linebackers Minnesota Vikings players New Orleans Saints players Players of American football from San Antonio UTSA Roadrunners football players