CBS Sports: Dan Campbell provides a positive injury update on fans favorite star, says player is going to be available Against the Indianapolis Colts.
Against the Indianapolis Colts, Sam LaPorta might make his comeback.
In their 52-6 victory over the Jacksonville Jaguars in Week 11, the Detroit Lions’ offense amassed 645 total yards despite the absence of tight end Sam LaPorta.
Head coach Dan Campbell immediately suggested that LaPorta would miss Week 11 due to a strained AC joint in his left shoulder sustained during Week 10 versus the Houston Texans. Last week, LaPorta did not train at all, and it was always certain that he would be benched against the Jaguars.
During his press conference on Wednesday, Campbell was inevitably questioned about LaPorta as the Lions begin their week of preparation for their Week 12 matchup with the Indianapolis Colts.
“I think it’s trending, it’s questionable to above for LaPorta,” Campbell stated. “I think it’s trending the right way.”
The Lions’ tight end room without Sam LaPorta is praised by Dan Campbell.
In Week 11, Brock Wright, Shane Zylstra, and James Mitchell filled in at tight end for the Lions in LaPorta’s absence. Alongside the LaPorta question, Campbell was also questioned about the performance of that trio versus the Jaguars without LaPorta.
“Yeah, those guys didn’t miss a beat.”James Mitchell was removed from the practice squad. He arrived and performed for us. I believed I played a good game. He’s played for us previously, so it wasn’t too huge for him. “That was excellent,” Campbell remarked. “Dude, I thought Brock did the heavy lifting for us. He had to perform a wide range of tasks and played a lot of snaps and reps. He performs the grunt work, the run game, and the protection, as we all know; his protection was excellent. After then, Zylstra has become a kind of need for us for the past four weeks or so. simply goes about his business and performs his duties in silence.
Campbell pointed out that Wednesday was the only walkthrough the Lions had. LaPorta’s degree of participation on Thursday, when practice ramps up to usual, will therefore be more indicative of his ability to play on Sunday. However, it’s good to be on the plus-side of doubtful (“questionable or above”), as LaPorta was noted as a full participant in Wednesday’s anticipated practice report.
