METAIRIE, La. — New Orleans Saints defensive end Marcus Davenport had the top portion of his left pinkie finger amputated this offseason after breaking a plate from a previous surgery and experiencing an infection.
Davenport, who also had surgery on his right shoulder in January, is hoping to be healthy by training camp. But the finger issue threw an unexpected wrench into his timetable.
Davenport said the pinkie has been a nagging issue since he first tore ligaments in it during his junior year at Texas-San Antonio in a 2016 bowl game. After it became significantly bent over time, he finally had it surgically repaired in 2021. But then he broke the plate that was inserted this offseason and had three more surgeries, ultimately resulting in the amputation.
Davenport doesn’t believe it will affect his performance, noting that he had already learned to adjust to the bent finger. He insisted that he has maintained a positive attitude throughout another injury-plagued offseason.
The 6-foot-6, 265-pound defensive end has flashed enormous potential throughout his four-year career, highlighted by his career-best nine sacks in just 11 games played last season. However, he has missed a total of 18 games with a variety of ailments, including toe, foot, elbow, shoulder and pectoral injuries.
The Saints picked up his fifth-year option worth $9.5 million for the 2022 season. A 2018 first-round draft choice, he is scheduled to become an unrestricted free agent in 2023.