5 Vikings who likely won't be back in 2024

DE Marcus Davenport

Marcus Davenport has been good for the Vikings when he's on the field. He's a menace as a pass rusher and also a beast against the run. His presence on the field seemed to have a positive trickle-down effect as the linebackers suddenly got better, as did the secondary. It's not often you can feel the impact of one player on the defense, but with Davenport that was the case.

The problem is that we've only seen Davenport for three games this season. He was active for the Eagles game but didn't play in that one, and only registered snaps against the Panthers, Chiefs, and Bears. He isn't durable and that would be okay if this season was an outlier, but it is who Davenport has proven to be throughout his career.

He's never finished a complete season and is a player who is simply injury-prone. He also seems to take an extra long time to heal from his ailments. The Vikings were aware of all of this when they signed Davenport, and that is why it was only a one-year deal.

Who knows if Davenport will suit up in purple again this season, but even if he does, it'll be awfully hard for the Minnesota Vikings to offer him a long-term contract, not knowing if he'll even play for half of it.