The injury status of Detroit Lions tight end Sam LaPorta remains unclear. That, and a thin room behind him, make the Lions a great fit for veteran free agent Jonnu Smith, according to Kristopher Knox of Bleacher Report.
Knox notes that Smith was a Pro Bowler as recently as 2024 and could help fill the void of LaPorta.
“The Lions could use a pass-catching move tight end behind Sam LaPorta, who is dealing with a hip injury,” wrote Knox. “According to ESPN’s Eric Woodyard, LaPorta’s status for Week 1 is unclear.”
Detroit plans to use the tight end often in the Drew Petzing offense, so adding a competent option if LaPorta is out for a while does make sense.
Detroit Lions Could Sign Tight End Jonnu Smith
GettyTE Jonnu Smith.
Brock Wright is the number two tight end. However, he essentially plays an entirely different role than LaPorta. Wright stays in-line and is a blocking asset. He allows LaPorta to make an impact in the passing game.
So, even with LaPorta out, Wright does not change his role. Instead, the team will promote Tyler Conklin from third to the starting spot where LaPorta played. Conklin just signed with the team this offseason and was removed from the PUP list a few weeks ago.
So, if the Lions did sign Smith, he would only be a couple of practice sessions behind Conklin. Conklin is entering his ninth year in the NFL and has 2,645 yards in his career. However, he only had 101 yards last year and is entering his age-31 season. Meanwhile, Smith is one month younger than Conklin, but has one more year of NFL experience.
He has 3,529 yards, and while his last year was a down season as well, he had 222 yards. Smith averaged 1.46 yards per route run for his career, and Conklin is at 1.12. It is easy to see why Smith would fit the Lions if LaPorta is going to miss time. He is a much better option than Conklin.
Lions Have Unclear Status on LaPorta
The Lions status on LaPorta remains unclear right now. LaPorta finished practice on August 18, and everything was fine. Dan Campbell talked to the media and was not asked about LaPorta. On August 19, he was not present at practice.
On August 20, Campbell said that a hip injury popped up with him a couple of days ago. Campbell made it sound as though the team was being cautious and holding him out. However, he also made it clear that because the start of the regular season was so close, he did not want to commit to anything.
The early indication sounds like Detroit would miss LaPorta for a game and maybe two at most. The injury is not severe enough to extend beyond that. If that is the case, they might wait to sign Smith. However, if they feel LaPorta will miss a bigger chunk, the signing makes sense.
Keep an eye on what the Lions do before the regular season begins. Their actions might tell you what they think of LaPorta and his status.
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