Throughout the offseason, SB Nation will host surveys for NFL fans, sponsored by the folks over at FanDuel Sportsbook. For Pride of Detroit, we are tasked with fielding questions from Detroit Lions fans, and this week’s question centers around an important player returning from injury: Sam LaPorta.
LaPorta burst onto the scene as a rookie, setting multiple records for tight ends in franchise history, including registering 889 receiving yards for the season. In year two, LaPorta’s production was scaled back (726 receiving yards) as he focused on rounding out his overall game, which included stark improvements as a blocker. Last year, a significant back injury limited him to just nine games and 489 receiving yards before he was placed on injured reserve.
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LaPorta required surgery on his back, and questions surrounding his ability to fully recover swirled. In the spring, the Lions remained positive, and coach Dan Campbell told the media that the Pro Bowl tight end was “trending the right way” toward playing training camp.
On Tuesday, ESPN’s Jeremy Fowler confirmed expectations and reported that LaPorta had been “fully cleared (from injury) earlier this month” and that he was indeed on track to participate in training camp.
Returning for 2026 healthy is terrific news for LaPorta, but the good news doesn’t end there for the fourth-year tight end. Waiting for LaPorta in Allen Park is new offensive coordinator Drew Petzing, a coach with a lengthy history of featuring and elevating tight ends.
Petzing spent the last three seasons in Arizona and quickly elevated the play of tight end Trey McBride. After a 2022 rookie season that saw McBride secure 265 receiving yards over 16 games (13 starts), Petzing helped raise his production to 825 receiving yards in 2023, 1146 receiving yards in 2024, and 1239 receiving yards in 2025. McBride was selected to the Pro Bowl each of the last two seasons and was a first-team All-Pro in 2025.
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With Petzing now in Detroit, expectations are sky high for LaPorta in 2026, including some publications suggesting a career year is on the horizon. Even McBride reached out to LaPorta to tell him how excited he should be to have Petzing in Detroit:
“I was like, ‘Man, you’re going to love it. You’re going to eat, you’re going to have a great career,’ I’m excited for him.”
While the hype train is certainly picking up some heavy steam this offseason for LaPorta, it’s important to keep in mind that McBride was the top target in the Cardinals offense, while LaPorta has to share the ball with several other terrific players in the Lions’ offense, including All-Pro wide receiver Amon-Ra St. Brown. Ball distribution, along with maybe some lingering injury concerns, could be why FanDuel Sportsbook is listing LaPorta’s projected receiving yards at a moderate 650.5 (-114).
And with that, it’s time to vote. Make sure to vote in the survey below, share your feedback in the comment section of this article or THE FEED post connected to the poll, and check back with Pride of Detroit later in the week for the results.
If you want to get these surveys emailed to you weekly, you can sign up here, and don’t forget to check out FanDuel, the official sportsbook partner of SB Nation.
