Lions' Sam LaPorta Uncertain for 2026 Training Camp, Latest Timeline on Back Injury

Detroit Lions tight end Sam LaPorta, who suffered a season-ending back injury in November, could miss the team's 2026 training camp.

Lions head coach Dan Campbell said Wednesday that LaPorta returning by early 2026 is "off the table," and added that his status for training camp is uncertain.

"I feel like next year, that's certainly an off the table, early in the year," Campbell told reporters. "You'd like to believe training camp we'll get him, but you're talking about a back. And he's improving but yet, he's not completely healed."

The Lions placed LaPorta on the injured reserve ahead of their Week 11 matchup against the Philadelphia Eagles after he underwent back surgery. Campbell initially said LaPorta could return during the 2025 campaign, but the odds of that were "very slim."

"I think we would be fortunate to have a chance to get him back for the rest of the season, at some point," Campbell told reporters in November. "I think that's very, very slim."

LaPorta was off to a strong start to the year before the injury, recording 489 receiving yards and three touchdowns through nine games.

His absence was certainly felt by Detroit's offense, as the Lions have lost five of their seven games since he went on the injured reserve. They were eliminated from the playoffs with last week's loss to the Minnesota Vikings.

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"Sometimes you've got to hit rock bottom before you can work your way back up. And relative to where we were at, this is rock bottom," Campbell told reporters Wednesday. "But as bad as it looks — I said this the other day — it's not as far away as it may appear. We've just got to get a few things back in line here."

LaPorta, though only in his third season, has been a huge part of the Lions' success. Obviously, the 24-year-old's long-term health is the priority, but Detroit will hope to get him back sooner rather than later.