Tight End · Detroit Lions

Sam LaPorta

No. 87 · 4th season

Sam LaPorta is healing, and the Lions are watching the calendar

There is a version of this summer where everything lines up at once. LaPorta gets healthy, the Lions get a deal done, and one of the better young tight ends in the league stays put for the long run. Right now, at least the first part of that is moving in the right direction.

LaPorta came into the league and immediately looked like someone who belonged. As a rookie with the Detroit Lions, he caught passes at a rate that turned heads and made a case, quietly but clearly, that he was built for this level.

The injury that has shadowed his offseason is trending toward recovery, according to reporting from NFL Network. And with that progress comes something else worth watching: the Lions are now in a position to talk extension. A long-term deal could be on the table this summer.

For a team that has been building toward something real, keeping a tight end of LaPorta's caliber locked in is not a small thing. It is the kind of decision that shapes a roster for years.

The health comes first. But if the timeline holds, the contract question is right behind it.

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