Saints need No. 1 pick Marcus Davenport to get out of the tub and help the club

After seeing reserve quarterbacks Tom Savage, Taysom Hill and J.T. Barrett in pre-season games against the Jacksonville Jaguars and Arizona Cardinals, dearly departed veteran Chase Daniel never looked so good.

In fact, I’m not so sure Drew Brees’ understudy this season is currently on the New Orleans Saints’ roster.

But that’s a story for another day. The Saints have more pressing matters.

For instance, can No. 1 draft pick Marcus Davenport, the highly-touted defensive end from UT-San Antonio whom Saints officials traded up 13 spots to acquire in the first round, climb out of the tub and get on the field?

A thumb injury and subsequent surgery prevented him from participating in the team’s June minicamp, and a groin pull has sidelined him the past three weeks of training camp, putting him in catchup mode in terms of football shape and on-field work.

How he performs in the Saints’ two joint practices against the Los Angeles Chargers on Wednesday and Thursday at the Jack Hammett Sports Complex in Costa Mesa, California, and whether he emerges healthy to play in Saturday night’s pre-season game at the StubHubCenter in nearby Carson, ultimately will determine the next course of action.

Because of the recent knee/ankle injury to veteran right defensive end Alex Okafor, it appears Saints Coach Sean Payton and Defensive Coordinator Dennis Allen may feel a greater sense of urgency to speed up Davenport’s learning curve and get him in the defensive line rotation sooner rather than later.

In other words, Saints officials may be on edge to get their top pick coming off the edge ASAP.

The quicker Davenport can get up to NFL speed and complement two-time Pro Bowl left defensive end Cam Jordan, the better off the Black and Gold will be in trying to fulfill their lofty goals.

Just as tackle Ryan Ramczyk, the 32nd overall selection in the 2017 draft, stepped into a starting job and produced mightily as a rookie last season.

I’m not suggesting the Saints’ chances to seriously challenge for Super Bowl LIII hinge solely on Davenport coming of age as a rookie, but a young, productive pass rushing defensive end certainly would help matters in a division that features quarterbacks Matt Ryan, Cam Newton and Jameis Winston.

But Davenport does the Saints no good if he can’t stay healthy, get on the field and earn his keep.

In the South, the word “davenport’‘ defined a large upholstered couch that could be converted into a sofa. The last thing the Saints need is a Davenport that ends up being a couch potato.