Watch: Marcus Davenport Used in Coverage at Vikings OTAs
File this one under highlights you probably didn't expect to see.
In a practice clip posted by the Vikings' Instagram page on Monday, edge rusher Marcus Davenport sticks with running back Kene Nwangwu in coverage and helps force an incompletion in the end zone. The ball from Nick Mullens may have been catchable, but Davenport was moving well for a 6'6", 265-pound defensive end.
Even though it's just one clip from a June OTA practice, it's interesting for a few reasons. Last season, defensive coordinator Ed Donatell took plenty of heat from fans for having his edge rushers drop into coverage at times. D.J. Wonnum, Danielle Hunter, and Za'Darius Smith each had at least 33 coverage snaps, according to PFF. If this clip is any indication, there may be more of that under new coordinator Brian Flores.
Davenport, who played defensive end with the Saints, has played just 18 total coverage snaps over the past three seasons after having 42 in his first two years. Now an outside linebacker in Minnesota, Davenport and his 9.66 RAS might be asked to spend a bit more time dropping into space.
"It's just a matter of time," Davenport said last month when asked about the learning process of moving around the front in Flores' system. "With the way we coach it, we're not so pressed on getting it all right now, we're just trying to (emphasize) your alignment and then from there, we're taking steps. I'd put it on our coaches that they're doing a good job trying to help us progress, where we know all of it, we can actually function and take it to our next level."
The clip is also notable as a missed opportunity for a highlight-reel catch by Nwangwu. In his competition with Ty Chandler and DeWayne McBride for reps behind Alexander Mattison — and maybe Dalvin Cook? — earning trust on passing downs is going to be key.
"Between Kene and Ty, there already seems to be a really nice competition brewing there, because both those guys are having solid springs and showing their versatility," head coach Kevin O'Connell said last week. "Can they impact us not only in the run game, but the pass game? To me, it's about their ability to win when they're running routes, but you gotta be willing to step in there and block a little bit in pass pro (as well)."
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