The Detroit Lions were hit with an unexpected injury this past week after tight end Sam LaPorta popped up on the injury report and was ruled out.
LaPorta, who is dealing with an unspecified back issue, was placed on injured reserve on Saturday, which means he'll be forced to miss at least the next four games.
However, based on what head coach Dan Campbell after the Sunday night loss to the Philadelphia Eagles, he could be out a lot longer than that.
According to the Detroit Free Press' Dave Birkett, Campbell would not commit to LaPorta returning at all in 2025.
“I’m hopeful, but I really don’t know,” Campbell said of LaPorta's chances of being back this season.
“We’re going to hope that this thing calms down and after those four games we can get him back,” Campbell added. “But we’re really just taking this day to day, week to week.”
This is just a wild and unexpected turn of events.
After all, there was no indication LaPorta was dealing with anything during or after the Week 10 win over the Washington Commanders, when LaPorta totaled 53 yards on five catches.
It goes without saying how important LaPorta is to the Lions' offense. The third-year tight end ranks third in receiving yards behind wide receivers Amon-Ra St. Brown and Jameson Williams, and he's an excellent blocker.
There is simply no way the Lions can replace what LaPorta does on the football field.
With LaPorta on the shelf, the Lions will lean heavily on fellow tight end Brock Wright, who caught two passes for eight yards on Sunday night.
Along with Wright, the Lions have veteran tight end Ross Dwelley on the active roster, and Anthony Firkser and Zach Horton on the practice squad.
The Lions have also been tinkering with wide receiver Jackson Meeks at tight end, so we could see the rookie playing that role in the weeks ahead.
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