The Detroit Lions entered the 2024 offseason with two significant defensive needs: cornerback and edge rusher. They addressed both fairly quickly, but given Marcus Davenport’s injury history, there was immediate concern over whether he could contribute alongside Aidan Hutchinson on the edge.
That concern became reality as training camp approached. Davenport was injured in a freak accident when Cardinals tackle Paris Johnson hit his arm in Week 3, leaving him likely out for the season with an elbow/triceps injury. This injury risk prediction was proven true. Then, Hutchinson suffered a broken leg in Week 6, and third-year player Josh Paschal also got hurt.
Hutchinson had been on track for an exceptional season, still ranking in the top 10 for quarterback pressures among edge rushers even though he hadn’t played since Week 6, according to Pro Football Focus. By Week 13, Hutchinson had accounted for 25% of the Lions’ sacks (7.5 out of 30). No other Lion had more than four sacks through Week 13.
In comparison, Trey Hendrickson had 61% of the Bengals’ sacks, the largest percentage by far this season, followed by Travon Walker (36%), Maxx Crosby (33%), Myles Garrett (31%), and T.J. Watt (30%).
Looking back at the 2024 offseason, the Lions’ biggest regret seems clear: not adding another edge rusher. As Bradley Locker of Pro Football Focus points out, Detroit never expected Hutchinson to go down, but their edge depth was already lacking. The team had placed its hopes on Davenport, who had only played over 500 snaps once in his career, but he managed just 89 snaps before his season-ending injury.
While the Lions did add Za’Darius Smith, they may not have needed him if they’d drafted a player like Jonah Elliss (14 pressures on 176 pass-rushing snaps) or signed someone like Calais Campbell or Chase Young (39 pressures). Detroit made a priority of signing Davenport early in free agency, but his injury history made it clear they should have made another move. A strong performance from the defensive line on Thanksgiving Day doesn’t erase the fact that they fell short last offseason, and edge rusher will likely be a need again in the 2025 offseason.
Leave a Reply