The Detroit Lions haven't had tight end Sam LaPorta for quite some time thanks to a hamstring injury he's been working his way back from throughout training camp, but it appears he's close to returning.
Head coach Dan Campbell revealed on Tuesday that LaPorta is expected to return to practice next week following the preseason Week 3 game against the Pittsburgh Steelers.
That timeline puts LaPorta on track to be ready for Week 1, assuming he doesn't suffer any setbacks. That's obviously huge news for the Lions, as the young tight end is expected to have a major role in the offense, especially with the question marks at wide receiver.
Sam LaPorta injury update
“We’re hoping the day after the Pittsburgh game — I think we’re going to get a lot of guys back,” Campbell said, per Erik Schlitt of Pride of Detroit. “We’re shooting for Skip (Dan Skipper), (Kevin) Zeitler, (Sam) LaPorta, (Jahmyr) Gibbs, Rodrigo (Malcolm Rodriguez), and I think we may start (DJ) Reader up too. Start working him in individuals. So we’re hoping to get a whole group of guys back on Sunday.”
After the Lions' preseason final on Saturday, the Lions will have two weeks until their regular-season opener on Sunday, Sept. 8, against the Los Angeles Rams. Assuming he returns to practice at some point next week, LaPorta will have a week-plus to get himself situated ahead of Week 1.
LaPorta is coming off a sensational rookie campaign in which he tallied 86 catches for 889 yards and 10 touchdowns. The yards were the fourth-most for a rookie tight end in NFL history, and the receptions and touchdowns ranked first and second, respectively.
After the departure of Josh Reynolds to the Denver Broncos, there's a lot of targets up for grabs in 2024, giving LaPorta an even better shot to surpass what he did in 2023.