METAIRIE, La. — New Orleans Saints defensive end Marcus Davenport had the upper part of his left pinky amputated this offseason after breaking a plate and suffering an infection in a previous surgery.
Davenport, who also underwent surgery on his right shoulder in January, is hoping to be well before training camp. But the finger problem took an unexpected hit on his schedule.
Davenport said the pinky has been a nagging problem since he first tore ligaments during his junior year at Texas-San Antonio in a 2016 bowl game. After severely bending it over time, he finally had it surgically repaired in 2021. But then he ruptured the plate that was put in that offseason and had to undergo three more surgeries, eventually resulting in amputation.
Davenport doesn’t think this will affect his performance as he had already learned to get used to the bent finger. He insisted he had kept a positive attitude through another injury-plagued offseason.
The 6-foot-6, 265-pound defensive end has flashed tremendous potential throughout his four-year career, highlighted by his career-best nine sacks in just 11 games last season. However, he has missed a total of 18 games with a variety of ailments, including toe, foot, elbow, shoulder and chest injuries.
The Saints received his $9.5 million fifth-year option for the 2022 season. A 2018 first-round draft pick, he is slated to become an unrestricted free agent in 2023.