When Are Detroit Lions Targeting Return For TE Sam LaPorta?

LaPorta is making progress with back injury, but still has a ways to go.

Detroit Lions tight end Sam LaPorta (87) makes a catch against Washington Commanders linebacker Frankie Luvu (4) | Junfu Han / USA TODAY NETWORK via Imagn Images

On Wednesday, Detroit Lions head coach Dan Campbell offered a cautiously optimistic update on tight end Sam LaPorta, emphasizing progress while also noting the third-year pro is not fully healed from the back injury that prematurely ended his 2025 season.

LaPorta suffered the injury in Week 10 against the Washington Commanders. The ailment forced LaPorta to undergo back surgery, which subsequently landed the third-year pro on season-ending injured reserve.

Speaking with reporters on New Year’s Eve, Campbell said the organization is encouraged by how LaPorta has responded since the procedure, yet made it clear that a return during the 2025 season was never realistic — even if Detroit had qualified for the postseason.

“He’s improving, but yet he’s not completely healed,” Campbell said, adding that the injury was not something LaPorta could have played through under any circumstances.

It is expected the talented tight end will return by training camp next season. But with any back injury, their is a certain level of unpredictability, until he steps foot on the field and practices.

Prior to being placed on IR, the Iowa product was in the midst of a productive season. In nine games this season, he recorded 489 yards on 40 catches, good for a career-best 12.2 yards per reception. He also secured three touchdowns, and hauled in a career-best 81.6 percent of his targets.

And since LaPorta has been sidelined, Detroit has lacked a reliable third receiving option for signal-caller Jared Goff. While rookie wide receiver Isaac TeSlaa has flashed glimpses, Campbell & Co. have opted not to entrust him with a heavy dose of targets.   

“Anytime when you start talking about a neck or a back or some of those things, depending on a knee, what kind of knee it is or what it looks like, those can be concerning just because you don’t know," said Campbell. "You don’t know exactly what’s going to come out of that, how do they recover. So, that’s always going to kind of be back there a little bit until either he is fully healed or he’s not quite there.

“I'd like to believe he's got, he'll have a lot of time to heal here,” the fifth-year head man added about LaPorta. “You know, he's rehabbing every day. It certainly feels better after the surgery than he did right before. So, that's a positive. You know, (it) took a lot of stress off that nerve, so we'll see.”

Through 42 career games, LaPorta has totaled 86 catches for 2,104 yards and 20 touchdowns. His best season came in his first year as a pro, when he amassed 86 receptions (an NFL record for catches by a rookie tight end) for 889 yards and 10 touchdowns. And for his efforts, he earned a 76.5 overall grade from Pro Football Focus and a Pro Bowl nod.  

LaPorta, the No. 34 overall pick in the 2023 NFL Draft, will be entering the fourth and final year of his rookie contract in 2026.

Campbell’s update suggests the Lions expect the Pro Bowler to be his same, high-impact self next season – as long as his rehab stays on track.