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Sam LaPorta injury update: Dan Campbell reveals grim news on Lions star TE

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Detroit Lions head coach Dan Campbell announced that superstar tight end Sam LaPorta has recently undergone back surgery to address an injury that sent him to injured reserve. Campbell said any chance of LaPorta returning this season is “very, very slim.”

“(LaPorta) did have a procedure, alright, and he’s going to be out for a while, a while. I think we’d be fortunate to have a chance to get him back for the rest of the season, yeah, … I think that’s very, very slim,” Campbell said during Friday’s press conference. “The good news is the procedure went really well, long-term.”

The Lions placed LaPorta on injured reserve last Saturday due to a back injury. He is now likely to miss the remainder of the 2025 season after undergoing surgery this week.

Sam LaPorta injury update: Lions TE placed on injured reserve

It’s unclear exactly when LaPorta suffered the injury, but he played in last Sunday’s game against the Washington Commanders. The tight end ranks second on the team in receiving so far this season with 40 catches for 489 yards and three touchdowns.

LaPorta is in his third NFL season after being selected in the second round of the 2023 NFL Draft out of Iowa. He has missed only one game in his career up to this point, but that will obviously change with the news that he has been placed on IR.

In LaPorta’s absence, the Lions will turn to reserve tight end Brock Wright. Campbell has expressed confidence in Wright to handle things when called upon.

“Brock’s a guy we don’t talk a lot about, but he’s the jack of all trades. He does everything for us: pass protect, run block, he can run some routes, he plays special teams,” Campbell told ESPN last week. “He’s one of the most dependable players we have on this team.”

Detroit will be counting on Wright to fill in that void for at least the next few games while LaPorta remains sidelined. So far this season, Wright has recorded nine catches for 72 yards and a touchdown.

The Lions are currently in third place in the NFC North amid a 3-3 run in their last six games, including a 16-9 loss at Philadelphia last weekend. Detroit hopes to return to its winning ways at 1 p.m. ET Sunday in a home game against the New York Giants.

— On3’s Chandler Vessels contributed to this report.