The Detroit Lions are watching the status of tight end Sam LaPorta closely as he is coming off of season-ending back surgery. So, it raised alarm bells when he was not present for the team’s Wednesday practice.
Head coach Dan Campbell did not meet with the media after practice, so the clarity of the injury will have to wait.
Detroit Lions Tight End Sam LaPorta Absent From Practice
LaPorta is coming off of a disappointing third season. He never looked quite right on the field, and he was only on the field for nine games. He had a herniated disc in his back and missed the end of the 2025 season to get surgery.
However, he was cleared for football activities in July. LaPorta has also been at practice with no signs of issues or slowing down. He did not play in the Lions preseason opener, but the Lions sat plenty of starters in that game.
Campbell will meet with the media on Thursday and provide more clarity, but as of now, there is a question of whether LaPorta missed due to caution or if there is something lingering or potentially more serious going on.
Lions Offense Needs to Get on the Same Page in 2026
GettySam LaPorta
The disappointing aspect is that Jameson Williams just returned to practice. Williams has not missed much time, but he has hardly been around since Jahmyr Gibbs returned. So, between Williams, Gibbs, LaPorta, and Amon-Ra St. Brown, they have not had any chances to get on the same page in training camp.
It is not the worst thing, and these players are all veterans. However, there are a lot of other changes coming to this team. They have a new offensive coordinator in Drew Petzing. Petzing would probably like to see his top skill players get on the same page before he has to call plays in live game action for the first time.
Beyond that, Gibbs has hardly run the offense, and now that he is coming back, his blocker is out.
More than that, the offensive line is going through a lot of shake-up. Starting center Cade Mays injured his wrist and will be out for the regular season. So, the Lions have tried three different options at center since then. One involved moving Tate Ratledge over from right guard to center.
The Lions also have battles at left guard and right tackle. Blake Miller appears to be winning the right tackle job, but the rookie needs to continue to earn it. However, things are more up in the air at left guard.
Christian Mahogany could hold things down, but he is being given plenty of competition, and he switched to right guard when Ratledge jumped to center.
The Lions have tried Ben Bartch and Miles Frazier as well. Juice Scruggs was in the mix, but now is getting looks at center.
That is a lot of shuffling for the team with little continuity heading into the season. So, the hope is that the LaPorta injury is not severe.
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