DetroitLions.com’s Tim Twentyman reports Sam LaPorta has been “terrific” in training camp.

12 August 2026

LaPorta, operating over the middle as a trusted target for Jared Goff, has shown “just how much Detroit missed him the second half of the 2025 season after he suffered a back injury,” Twentyman said. “He’s been terrific throughout the start of camp. In an early practice team period, Goff found LaPorta down the left seam for a big gain down to the nine-yard-line. The next play was a touchdown pass to LaPorta over the middle. That’s been a common occurrence all through camp.” LaPorta managed just 40 receptions in 2025 while missing eight games with a lingering back issue that required surgery in November. He set career marks last year in receiving success rate (69 percent) and yards per catch (12.2). LaPorta was targeted on 21 percent of his routes, the second highest mark on the team.