The Mercedes-Benz Superdome was quieted late in the fourth quarter during Sunday’s game between the New Orleans Saints and San Francisco 49ers. Second-year Saints defensive end Marcus Davenport pulled up after stepping into his rush and fell to the ground clutching at his left leg. He was able to walk off the field under his own power but didn’t return to the game after logging just 21 snaps on defense.
According to a report from The Athletic’s Nick Underhill, Davenport is managing a foot injury. We probably won’t know any specifics or the severity until the Saints publish their first injury report later this week, and even then the team is notoriously private about medical issues.
Still, a foot issue is better than, say, a knee injury. Maybe only marginally so, but it is better in the sense that fewer season-threatening ailments strike players in the feet than in their knees, where important ligaments like the ACL and MCL are located. It’s worth remembering that a serious grade-three turf toe injury slowed Davenport down in his rookie year and required surgery once it wrapped up. Here’s hoping his latest problem isn’t so serious.
