Dan Campbell Drops Concerning Sam LaPorta Injury Update

The Detroit Lions finally know why Sam LaPorta disappeared from practice Wednesday. The good news is Dan Campbell does not sound overly concerned about the tight end’s long-term health.

The less comforting part? Campbell isn’t ready to guarantee LaPorta will be on the field when the regular season begins.

LaPorta is dealing with a hip injury after taking a hit during practice earlier this week. Detroit plans to shut him down for now rather than risk turning a manageable problem into something bigger.

“He kind of got hit in the hip, and it just flared up a little bit,” Campbell said Thursday. “It’s aggravated, but we feel good long-term about him. We’re just, we’ll rest him for a little bit right here, letting it calm down.”

So far, so good.

Then Campbell was asked whether LaPorta could miss Detroit’s Sept. 13 opener against the New Orleans Saints.

“I don’t know,” Campbell said. “I feel like we’ll be okay, but I don’t know.”

That’s the part Lions fans won’t love.

If this were an isolated August injury, there probably wouldn’t be much reason to worry. The Lions have no incentive to push LaPorta through training camp discomfort when the real games are still weeks away.

The problem is what came before it.

LaPorta’s 2025 season ended after nine games because of a back injury that eventually required surgery. He finished with 40 receptions for 489 yards and three touchdowns, missing Detroit’s final eight games.

Just last month, the Lions received the news they had been waiting for when LaPorta was fully cleared for training camp. He had worked his way back into the offense and appeared to be moving beyond the back issue that wrecked the second half of his 2025 season.

Now he’s sidelined again.

To be clear, there is no indication the hip injury is connected to LaPorta’s previous back problem, and Campbell specifically said Detroit feels good about him long term. That’s important context.

Still, for a player who spent much of the offseason rehabbing, every missed practice this close to September matters a little more.

Don’t rush him.

That’s it.

The Lions know what LaPorta can do. There is nothing he can prove during the remaining preseason schedule that’s worth aggravating this injury.

Detroit also knows how much different the passing game can look without him. LaPorta has caught 186 passes for 2,104 yards and 20 touchdowns through his first three seasons, giving Jared Goff another reliable option in the middle of the field.

The Lions spent much of last season adjusting after losing him, and Campbell was openly uncertain about LaPorta’s return when Detroit initially placed him on injured reserve. That absence became a major issue for the offense.

There is no reason to repeat that mistake by chasing August practice reps.

Campbell’s update wasn’t a disaster. Far from it. Detroit believes LaPorta will be fine, and there are still more than three weeks before the Saints come to Ford Field.

But until No. 87 is back practicing without restrictions, this is one injury worth keeping an eye on.

The Lions can afford to be without Sam LaPorta in August.

They’d rather not find out what life without him looks like again in September.