Sam LaPorta dealing with hip injury, but should not be sidelined for long

Published August 20, 2026 01:19 PM The Lions have an injury concern with one of their key offensive players that the club is hopeful will not linger.Head coach Dan Campbell told reporters in his Thursday press conference that tight end Sam LaPorta took a recent hit to the hip and the club is going to give him some time to heal.“It flared up a little bit, it’s a little aggravated,” Campbell said. “But we feel good long-term about him. We’ll just rest him for a little bit here, let it calm down.”Campbell added that he feels like LaPorta should be OK for Week 1, but at this point the Lions aren’t sure.While it’s not related to this injury, LaPorta is returning from undergoing back surgery in late November last year, which ended his season. In his nine games last year, LaPorta caught 40 passes for 489 yards with three touchdowns.Additionally, Campbell noted that guard Ben Bartch is in concussion protocol.