The Detroit Lions did not have the services of tight end Sam LaPorta in Week 11, as the former second-round pick was sidelined due to a shoulder injury suffered during the Week 10 win over the Houston Texans.
LaPorta was diagnosed with an AC sprain in his shoulder and was considered day-to-day, which meant his absence wasn't likely to last long. The Iowa product did not practice at all last week before ultimately being ruled out.
But there is optimism that LaPorta will return for the Week 12 game against the Indianapolis Colts after comments from head coach Dan Campbell before Wednesday's practice. Here's what Campbell said.
Sam LaPorta injury update
UPDATE: The Lions have released their first injury report of the week, which was an estimation due to the fact that the team only held a walkthrough. Nevertheless, LaPorta was estimated to be a full participant.
Here is the full #Lions injury report. pic.twitter.com/PMC3WGcgnn
— Eric Woodyard (@E_Woodyard) November 15, 2024
Again, just an estimation, but this amounts to an upgrade from last week, when the Lions tight end didn't practice at all. Keep scrolling to see what head coach Dan Campbell said about LaPorta's status before the injury report was released.
END OF UPDATE
According to the Lions on social media, Campbell said that LaPorta is trending in the right direction to play in Week 12. Campbell added that the Lions will hold a walkthrough on Wednesday.
"It's questionable to above for LaPorta," Campbell said. "I think it's trending the right way."
While the Lions aren't actually holding a practice, we can still put some weight in the estimated participation of LaPorta. Anything above a "did not practice" would be an upgrade for the second-year tight end.
We'll update this page later when the first injury report is released.
With LaPorta out last week, the Lions deployed Brock Wright for 65 snaps, which was expected. Shane Zylstra (19) was actually out-snapped by James Mitchell (25), but that was due to Mitchell getting a lot of chances in garbage time.
Wright managed to reel in his only reception for five yards and a touchdown, and Zylstra caught one pass for 22 yards. Mitchell was not targeted during the contest.
Before going down to the injury in Week 10, LaPorta was having his most productive best game of the season with three catches for 66 yards and a touchdown.
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