Tight end Sam LaPorta played in only nine games last season for the Detroit Lions.
He missed the final eight games of the season because of a fully herniated disk in his back that required surgery.
He’s now at risk for missing time in 2026, though the good news for the Lions is that head coach Dan Campbell doesn’t seem to think his new injury, a hip injury, will be a concern for long.
LaPorta suffered the injury in a recent practice, and now the Lions are letting him rest. In fact, he may not even play in their season opener, against the New Orleans Saints on Sept. 13.
Lions feel good long term about Sam LaPorta
“It flared up a little bit, it’s a little aggravated,” Campbell said on Thursday, according to Eric Woodyard of ESPN. “But we feel good long-term about him. We’ll rest him for a little bit here and letting it calm down.”
This is extremely concerning for the Lions. When he’s healthy, LaPorta has proven to be one of the more dynamic tight ends in the NFL.
As a rookie out of Iowa, he caught 86 passes for 889 yards and 10 touchdowns. He followed that up with 60 catches for 726 yards and seven touchdowns in 2024.
He’s a big part of what the Lions want to do offensively, so if he’s hurt or perhaps even now injury-prone because of the back injury from last season, this really hurts Detroit’s chances of climbing out of fourth place in the NFC North after a disappointing 9-8 campaign.
Could this injury linger in 2026?
“I don’t know,” Campbell said. “I feel like we’ll be OK, but I don’t know.”
This content was brought to you by: Yardbarker: NFL
