The injury report has severely hurt the Detroit Lions defense. Aaron Wilson on X, formerly Twitter, reports that linebacker Derrick Barnes and defensive end Marcus Davenport have been placed on injured reserve.Along with adding wide receiver Tim Patrick to the active roster, the Lions also added practice squad member Morice Norris. For the rest of the season, Davenport is probably out, and Barnes will probably miss a few weeks.
Head coach Dan Campbell stated, “Davenport will be out, looks like that is a season-ender there,” according to Christian Booker of SI.com. “I am still hearing different viewpoints on that.”
In Week 3, Davenport sustained an elbow injury while the Lions defeated the Arizona Cardinals. After leaving the game in the third quarter, he came back with a sleeve on his left arm. The seven-year veteran has found it difficult to stay healthy. Just four games were played by him for the Minnesota Vikings in 2023 before he signed a contract with Detroit over the offseason. In 2025, he will be eligible for free agency once more.
Barnes hurt his knee after being low-blocked by Cardinals offensive tackle Paris Johnson Jr.; the team is unsure of the precise timeline.
Campbell stated, “We are still getting second opinions on that, so we are not going to know.” As of right now, we know that he will be out for a short spell. We already know that; the only
question left is how long it will take for these opinions to return. Since it is the knee, would he require surgery for something other than a torn ligament? Can it leave scars? Is it possible that these ligaments will scar and everything will be fine in due course? We are aware that he will need to rest while his knee heals for a little term.In Week 4, the Lions return home to take on the Seattle Seahawks, so Campbell will need to make adjustments to his defensive line-up.
Marcus Davenport and Derrick Barnes’ injury will affect the Lions’ defensive position.
The Lions used Malcolm Rodriguez, Jalen Reeves-Maybin, and Ben Niemann after Barnes was benched in Week 3.
“We trust every player in there, and we have a lot of depth,” Campbell said. The loss of Barnes hurts and will continue to ache. Barnes is playing well, but the linebacker room gives you confidence because all those guys can play, if it has to happen somewhere. We are really confident in those people.
On Monday Night Football in Week 4, the Lions and Seahawks will play at Ford Field.
