Detroit Lions fans may be sad about pass rusher Marcus Davenport’s injury, but there is a light at the end of the tunnel. Defender Alim McNeill will be fine and the team has depth players who can also step up to the plate.
McNeill the shoulder injury is not seriousvia NFL Insider Jordan Schultz.
“#Lions DT Alim McNeill is listed as day-to-day after leaving Sunday’s game against Arizona with a shoulder injury, per source. Good news for Detroit and one of the most disruptive DTs in the NFL,” Schultz reported.
McNeill is a consistent force on the interior of the defensive line, recording 32 tackles and five sacks last year. The NC State alum will be even more important to Detroit without other consistent players present on that side of the ball.
However, other players have less positive injury updates.
Marcus Davenport leads Lions’ wounded unit
Detroit head coach confirmed Davenport was most likely out for the yearvia Christopher Booher of Sports Illustrated.
“Davenport will be out, it looks like it’s the end of the season,” Campbell said. “I’m still gathering other opinions on that.”
Additionally, linebacker Derrick Barnes will be out for several weeks with a knee injury after a low block on Arizona Cardinals offensive tackle Paris Johnson Jr. However, Campbell is unsure if the 25-year-old will be placed on injured reserve.
“We don’t know yet, we’re still getting secondary opinions on it,” Campbell said. “What we know right now is he’s going to be out for a while. We know that, and then once we get those opinions, it’s just a matter of how long it’s going to be. It’s the knee, so is he going to need anything other than healing on one of the ligaments? And can that heal? Can those ligaments heal and he’ll be fine, it just takes time? We know he’s going to be out for a while while the knee heals, and once it heals, is he going to need surgery?”
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With Barnes and Alex Anzalone now out, backups like Malcolm Rodriguez, Jalen Reeves-Maybin and Ben Niemann will have a better chance of playing.
“We have a lot of depth, we have confidence in all of those guys,” Campbell said. “It hurts, it’s going to hurt to lose Barnes. Barnes is playing at a high level, but if it’s going to happen in any room, the linebacker room gives you confidence because all of those guys can play. We have a lot of confidence in those guys.”
Barnes had already made 10 tackles this year, as well as 81 last season.
Meanwhile, running back Brian Branch could miss playing time after a helmet-to-helmet collision with Cardinals tight end Trey McBride. Detroit’s depth will certainly be tested on the defensive side of the ball in the coming weeks.
