Sam LaPorta has the green light to rejoin the Detroit Lions at training camp.
ESPN’s Jeremy Fowler reported LaPorta was fully cleared earlier this month after recovering from a back injury suffered last season.
LaPorta’s third season with the Detroit Lions was cut short to nine games, as the tight end was trying to return to the form that landed him a Pro Bowl berth in a record-setting rookie season in 2023.
LaPorta underwent a microdiscectomy after he suffered a herniated disc in Week 10 that ended his 2025 season, in which he finished with 40 catches for 489 yards and three touchdowns. It’s a far cry from a rookie season in which he tallied 86 catches for 889 yards and 10 touchdowns after he was selected in the second round of the 2023 NFL Draft out of Iowa. He set an NFL record for most receptions by a rookie tight end.
After starring as a rookie, LaPorta saw his numbers slide slightly in 2024, with 60 catches for 726 yards and seven touchdowns over 16 games. The back injury limited LaPorta’s 2025 season — the Lions’ first without Johnson as their offensive coordinator after he was hired as the Chicago Bears‘ head coach.
New offensive coordinator Drew Petzing was hired this offseason after he spent three seasons as the Cardinals’ offensive coordinator. Petzing utilized 13 personnel (one running back, three tight ends) while in Arizona, using it more than any other team in the NFL from 2023-25 (12.5%), according to TruMedia, which could signal bigger things for LaPorta.
This article originally appeared on The Detroit News: Sam LaPorta cleared for Lions training camp return
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