The Detroit Lions were without starting veteran defensive end Marcus Davenport heading into their Week 3 matchup against the Baltimore Ravens. Davenport was sidelined by a chest injury that he suffered in Week 2’s win against the Chicago Bears.

The last thing we heard about Davenport was that the Lions placed him on injured reserve on Monday, which means he’ll miss at least four games. On Thursday afternoon, Jeremy Reisman of Pride of Detroit reported that the veteran defender is already out of his sling.

If you’re a Lions fan, that’s great news to hear, as this defense doesn’t have much depth at the defensive end spot. Detroit’s pass rush went off against the Ravens in Week 3, led by the play of Al-Quadin Muhammad. However, they would like to have Davenport back in the fold in the coming weeks.

Marcus Davenport Is Already out of Sling Days After Going on IR

When Davenport initially exited the Lions’ Week 2 game against the Bears, it was announced that he suffered a shoulder injury. However, when the veteran defender popped up on the injury report for Week 3, the Lions listed him with a chest injury.

Davenport hasn’t had the best of luck with injuries in his career. In his first year with the Lions in 2024, the veteran defender appeared in two games before going down with a season-ending triceps injury.

Then, before arriving in the Motor City, the former first-round pick only played in four games with the Minnesota Vikings due to a right ankle injury. When he’s healthy, Davenport can put up six or more sacks in a season, which he did twice in his five-year tenure with the New Orleans Saints.

The Lions would love to see that type of production from Davenport when he’s eligible to come off IR. It’s not impossible, given what we’ve seen from Muhammad, who has already surpassed his sack total from 2024 (3 sacks) through three games this season (3.5 sacks).

If Muhammad can continue to play at a high level, along with Aidan Hutchinson, Davenport can slide back in as a rotation player and join in on the fun.

The Lions have been stubborn in not bringing in another pass rusher since Davenport’s injury. It’s clear that they trust their in-house talent, including Davenport, but he must get back to 100 percent health to prove them right.