Marcus Davenport Retires After One Game With Bears, Ending Nine-Year NFL Career

Marcus Davenport played his final NFL game on Sunday. The veteran defensive end has retired after nine seasons, requesting his release from the Chicago Bears' practice squad on Monday — less than 24 hours after making his lone appearance for the team in a 23-12 victory over the New York Jets.

Davenport's Chicago stint was fleeting. Signed in August for a reunion with defensive coordinator Dennis Allen, his former coach in New Orleans, the 30-year-old did not survive final roster cuts and landed on the practice squad. He suited up for the first time Sunday at Soldier Field, logging one tackle and one pressure across 12 defensive snaps and earning an impressive 70.8 grade from Pro Football Focus. It will go down as the final action of his career.

It is a disappointing ending for a player once seen as a rising edge threat. The Saints drafted Davenport 14th overall in 2018 out of UTSA, and he flashed real promise with 21.5 sacks across five seasons in New Orleans, including a career-high nine in 2021. But injuries consumed the rest of his career: he played just four games for Minnesota in 2023, ten total for Detroit across 2024 and 2025, and only 15 contests dating back to 2023.

Davenport finishes with 166 tackles, 25 sacks, seven forced fumbles, and 71 quarterback hits in 78 games. His exit thins Chicago's edge rotation ahead of Sunday's rivalry clash with Green Bay, though Shemar Turner could make his season debut after returning to practice from the reserve list.