Look, this isn’t very surprising, but it is noteworthy. Bleacher Report’s Gary Davenport listed New Orleans Saints defensive end Marcus Davenport among the riskiest players in the 2023 free agent class, owing to his extensive injury history and uneven level of play.
That’s something Saints fans can verify. Davenport played a career-high 15 games last season and finished with a career-low sacks total (0.5), with former undrafted free agents getting snaps ahead of him by year’s end. That’s hardly the return you’d expect from someone the team invested two first-round draft picks in during their bold 2018 trade, vaulting halfway up the first round to get him.
Here’s what was written about Davenport’s prospects in free agency at Bleacher Report:
So where could Davenport find a big free agent offer? One team that jumps out is the Atlanta Falcons, who hired his old position coach Ryan Nielsen as their new defensive coordinator. He knows Davenport well and that relationship could mean a lot if Davenport is looking to start over in a new locker room around the league. At the same time, it wouldn’t be too big a shock if Davenport draws little attention on the open market and calls it a career sooner than expected, much like former Saints first-round pick Sedrick Ellis. Whatever’s next for Davenport, we’ll wish him the best.