The Detroit Lions defense has taken a major hit on the injury report. Defensive end Marcus Davenport and linebacker Derrick Barnes are being placed on injured reserve, per Aaron Wilson on X, formerly Twitter.
The Lions have also signed wide receiver Tim Patrick to active roster, and Morice Norris to the practice squad. Davenport will likely be out for the remainder of the season, while Barnes is expected to miss multiple weeks.
Davenport will be out, looks like that’s a season-ender there,” head coach Dan Campbell said, per Christian Booker of SI.com. “Still getting some other opinions on that.”
Davenport suffered an elbow injury during the Lions’ Week 3 win over the Arizona Cardinals. He exited in the third quarter, but returned to the game with a sleeve on his left arm. It’s been a struggle for the seven-year veteran to remain healthy. He appeared in just four games in 2023 for the Minnesota Vikings, before signing in Detroit over the offseason. He’ll enter free agency once again in 2025.
Following a low block by Cardinals offensive tackle Paris Johnson Jr., Barnes injured his knee, and the team is still uncertain about the exact timetable.
We’re not gonna know on that, we’re still getting second opinions on that,” Campbell said. “What we know right now is he’s gonna be down for a little while. We know that, and then it’s just a matter of, once these opinions come back, how long is that gonna be? It’s the knee, so is he gonna need something done other than one of the ligaments? And can it scar in? Can these ligaments scar in and everything will be good, just needs time? We know he’s gonna need to be down for a little while, while the knee heals. And then once it heals, is he gonna need surgery?”
The Lions are back home against the Seattle Seahawks in Week 4, where Campbell will have to adjust his defensive personnel.
