Sam LaPorta, the Detroit Lions’ star tight end, just missed multiple practices this week thanks to a fresh hip injury, and now the team is completely in the dark about his Week 1 availability. This is a brutal start to the season’s buzz, especially with the Lions set to face the New Orleans Saints. Head coach Dan Campbell didn’t exactly instill confidence on Thursday, admitting the injury “flared up a little bit, it’s a little aggravated.” While he tacked on, “But we feel good long-term about him. We’ll rest him for a little bit here and letting it calm down,” the short-term picture looks murky. When pressed on LaPorta playing in Week 1, Campbell could only say, “I don’t know. I feel like we’ll be OK, but I don’t know.” Yikes.
Another Injury Setback For LaPorta
Man, talk about bad luck. This hip issue is the last thing anyone wanted to hear, especially after Sam LaPorta, who is only 25, saw his 2025 season cut short by a herniated disc. He ended up playing in just nine games that year. Think about that: a guy who put up career-best numbers with 12.2 yards per reception, snagging 40 catches on 49 targets for three touchdowns, all in roughly half a season, had to watch from the sidelines. Those 49 targets were still fourth-most on the team. After surgery to fix that disc, everyone expected him to be a massive piece of the 2026 offense under new offensive coordinator Drew Petzing. And why wouldn’t they? This is the same guy who made the Pro Bowl as a rookie in 2023 with 889 receiving yards on 120 targets across 17 games and 14 starts, still his career high. Campbell’s long-term optimism is good, sure, but what about the here and now?
Who Steps Up If LaPorta Sits?
So, if LaPorta is sidelined, who fills that void? The Lions’ tight end depth chart lists Brock Wright, Tyler Conklin, and Jackson Meeks. Brock Wright, 28, has spent his whole pro career with Detroit and made eight starts in 2025 before a trachea injury sent him to injured reserve. He knows the system, but is he ready for a starting workload from Day 1? Then there’s Tyler Conklin, a veteran who’s been around. He was a fifth-round pick by Minnesota in 2018 and has bounced from the Jets to the Chargers. This is his third team in three years, and he actually lost his starting job after five games in 2025, only seeing 10 targets in 13 games. That’s a huge drop from his 58 receptions and 554 receiving yards per season average between 2021 and 2024. Jackson Meeks, an undrafted free agent from 2025, has mostly been a practice squad guy, even though he’s listed as a wide receiver at 6-foot-2 and can play backup tight end. It’s a lot of question marks behind LaPorta.
This hip injury for LaPorta throws a wrench into the Lions’ early-season plans, no doubt about it. You gotta wonder how much this uncertainty will hang over the team heading into that Week 1 matchup against the Saints. For a team looking to hit the ground running, losing such a key offensive weapon, even for a single game, is a tough pill to swallow. Everyone will be watching those practice reports closely to see if Campbell gets any more clarity before kickoff.
This article was created with AI assistance and published under Seattle On Tap’s editorial standards. See our Editorial Policy.
Originally reported by Fox Sports.
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