LaPorta misses practice, does the walkthrough
Rookie tight end’s status for Sunday’s game still uncertain
Sam LaPorta took part in the Detroit Lions’ walkthrough Wednesday afternoon, but it‘s still too early to say if the rookie tight end will play in Sunday’s playoff opener against the Los Angeles Rams.
“I don’t know if we’re quite there yet,” Lions coach Dan Campbell said before practice Wednesday. “I think the best way to say it, because I know it’ll come up every day but he’s improving. He was out there at walk-through and I don’t foresee us knowing anything or feeling like we have a real good picture until probably Friday afternoon.”
LaPorta suffered a bone bruise in his left knee in the first half of last week’s win over the Minnesota Vikings.
Campbell initially expressed doubt LaPorta would be healthy enough to play this week, but the Lions have grown more optimistic about LaPorta’s chances in recent days.
LaPorta finished second on the team with 86 catches and 889 receiving yards this season and tied for the team lead with 10 receiving touchdowns. He broke Keith Jackson’s 35-yearold NFL record for most catches by a rookie tight end.
The Lions have two healthy tight ends on their 53-man roster, James Mitchell and Brock Wright, who returned to practice Wednesday after a three-game absence with a hip injury. Practice squad fullback Jason Cabinda and swing offensive tackle Dan Skipper also can function as a tight end in the Lions offense.
Campbell said the plan is “every day we’re going to do more with” LaPorta before deciding whether he can go Sunday.
“If we don’t feel like he can help us then there’s no need to have him, let’s just say that,” Campbell said.
Along with LaPorta, the Lions practiced Wednesday without punt returner Kalif Raymond and starting offensive linemen Taylor Decker, Frank Ragnow and Graham Glasgow. Raymond suffered a knee injury last week and is doubtful to play Sunday, while Decker and Ragnow
have taken regular veteran rest days in recent weeks.
Can we talk?
Ben Johnson isn’t the only Detroit Lion on Carolina Panthers owner David Tepper’s wish list. The Panthers are interested in bringing a Lions executive to town, too.
The Panthers announced Wednesday they have requested an interview with Lions chief operating officer Mike Disner for their vacant general manager job.
Disner, who played a prominent role in the Lions’ last rebuild, is one of nine candidates for the job, according to the team.
He has an extensive background managing the salary cap and negotiating contracts, and oversees the Lions’ football operations and administration in his current role.
A Michigan native, Disner was part of the four-person team that led the dual coach and general manager search for the Lions in 2021 along with owner Sheila Hamp, president Rod Wood and executive Chris Spielman.
“There’s a number of things that he’s dealt — two years ago, a ton of it dealt with. The cap, structuring the contracts, free agency and then it’s just grown from there,” Lions coach Dan Campbell said. “Certainly, Rod has groomed him to be a little bit more and he’s got oversight in a lot of the administrative portion of what we do here, but he’s been outstanding. I mean, he’s worthy of a shot and so we’re happy for him, too. But there again, the focus is on us right now and I’m not going to go off of that. And, look, as long as Rod’s here, we’re golden, so life’s good.”
Disner was the first to suggest Brad Holmes as a GM candidate, after combing through league-produced videos on the NFL’s internal site in December of 2020.
The Lions hired Holmes in January of 2021, and Holmes has built one of the league’s best rosters primarily through trades and the draft.
Johnson was considered the Panthers’ top choice as head coach last season, when he turned down an in-person interview to stay in Detroit.
The Panthers requested permission to interview Johnson again this week.
Per NFL rules, Johnson cannot interview virtually for jobs until after the wild card round of the playoffs, and must wait until the week of Jan. 22 for an in-person interview.
As one of the top head coaching candidates on the market, Johnson could have input in who he wants to work with as general manager.
Disner began his NFL career with the New England Patriots in 2007 as a scouting assistant after working as an intern for the Patriots for two summers. He spent four years working for the NFL’s Management Council, serving as labor operations manager (2012) and labor operations coordinator (2009-11), before returning to the team side as director of football operations for the Arizona Cardinals.
Former Lions GM Bob Quinn brought Disner to Detroit in 2019 as vice president of football administration.
The Lions, 12-5 and the No. 3 seed in the NFC playoffs, could lose multiple assistant coaches and executive this offseason.
The Washington Commanders and Los Angeles Chargers have requested permission to interview both Johnson and Lions defensive coordinator Aaron Glenn for their vacant head coaching jobs, and ESPN reported Wednesday the Tennessee Titans also put in an interview request for Glenn.
Currently, there are seven head coach vacancies in the NFL: The Panthers, Chargers, Commanders, Titans, Seattle Seahawks, Atlanta Falcons and Las Vegas Raiders.