Training camp is supposed to be the calm before the storm, but the Lions just got a jolt of preseason panic. Sam LaPorta, their Pro Bowl tight end and one of the best fantasy assets at the position, has been sidelined with a hip injury that's now bleeding into questions about whether he'll even suit up for Detroit's regular-season opener.
The injury reportedly happened during a recent practice, and LaPorta has missed multiple sessions since. Per Dan Campbell, LaPorta got hit in the hip and it "flared up a little bit" — aggravated, but nothing the staff feels is a long-term issue. That's the good news. The bad news is Campbell won't commit to LaPorta being ready for the Sept. 13 opener against the Saints, saying he doesn't know "for sure." That's the kind of hedge that makes fantasy managers sweat in late August.
Lions TE Sam LaPorta’s status for Detroit’s regular-season opener is unclear after he suffered a hip injury. The star tight end sustained the injury during a recent practice and has missed multiple practices this week. More via @E_Woodyard: https://t.co/jPDJh4JsLM
Context matters here, and it's not exactly comforting. LaPorta underwent surgery in November to repair a fully herniated disk in his back, and by all accounts he'd been pain-free through this year's camp until the hip injury popped up. Two separate injury scares to two different areas of the body in less than a year isn't nothing, even if the Lions insist this one is minor.
It's worth remembering what's at stake for Detroit. LaPorta burst onto the scene as a rookie in 2023 and immediately became Jared Goff's most reliable safety-valve target, establishing himself as arguably the best young tight end in football. He's central to an offense that leans on efficient, high-value looks over the middle, and losing him for any stretch — even a Week 1 absence — would force Campbell's staff to lean harder on the rest of the tight end room and the receiving corps.
For now this is a wait-and-see situation. The Lions have almost 3 weeks before the opener, plenty of time for a hip to "calm down," as Campbell put it. But every practice LaPorta misses between now and kickoff adds another data point to a situation that started as a footnote and is quickly becoming one of the bigger storylines of Detroit's preseason.