Sam LaPorta injury: Lions tight end dealing with undisclosed ailment, will miss 'a little bit of time'

Detroit Lions tight end Sam LaPorta did not practice Thursday and coach Dan Campbell confirmed it's because the star pass-catcher is dealing with an injury. Campbell didn't reveal details of the injury but mentioned that it isn't expected to be serious.

"LaPorta will be down. It's not major, but he will miss a little bit of time here," Campbell said ahead of the team's second joint practice with the Miami Dolphins.

The undisclosed injury will reportedly cause him to miss a few days.

If LaPorta does only miss a few days, the injury would impact his playing time during the preseason, but not his regular-season snaps. The Lions next game is against the Dolphins on Saturday, Aug. 16. Their regular-season opener is a divisional game against the Green Bay Packers on Sept. 7. 

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LaPorta is entering his third season in the NFL and has been the team's No. 1 tight end since joining as a second rounder in 2023. His rookie year, LaPorta finished second on the team among pass catchers in yards (889), targets (120) and was tied for most touchdowns (10) along with wide receiver Amon-Ra St. Brown.

In 2024, he finished third in receiving yards (726), targets (83) and was tied with wide receiver Jameson Williams with the second-most touchdowns in the air (7).

The Lions offense is going through a transition period, as they lost their offensive coordinator Ben Johnson to the head coaching gig of the Chicago Bears this offseason. More than ever, training camp snaps, specifically in joint practices, are valuable for an offense that could see some growing pains under new OC John Morton.