ALLEN PARK >> The Lions might be getting back All-Pro tight end Sam LaPorta sooner rather than later.
Lions head coach Dan Campbell said Wednesday that LaPorta, who suffered a sprained AC joint while hauling in a 37-yard pass against the Houston Texans in Week 10, is trending in the right direction.
“It’s questionable to above,” Campbell said of LaPorta’s injury status. “I think it’s trending the right way.”
The Lions held a walkthrough practice Wednesday, which won’t give much indication on LaPorta’s readiness for Detroit’s Week 12 road game against the Indianapolis Colts, Campbell said.
In LaPorta’s place, Detroit’s tight end rotation of Brock Wright, Shane Zylstra and James Mitchell “didn’t miss a beat,” Campbell said.
“We got James Mitchell up off the practice squad. He showed up, played for us. I thought played a solid game. Certainly wasn’t too big for him, he’s played for us before. That was good,” Campbell said.
“I thought Brock carried the load for us, man. He played a lot of reps, a lot of snaps, and he really had to do a lot of different jobs. We all know he does the dirty work, the run game, the protection; he was outstanding in protection. … And then Zylstra has been kind of a staple for us going on four weeks or whatever it was. Just quietly goes about his business and does his job.”
LaPorta had a season-high 66 receiving yards and a touchdown on three catches against Houston. That pushed his season totals to 25 catches for 366 yards and three touchdowns.