The Detroit Lions got one of their big four offensive weapons back at practice Wednesday, Aug. 19, while another missed his first practice of training camp.
Lions wide receiver Jameson Williams returned to practiced Wednesday after sitting out the past two sessions with a minor shoulder injury, but tight end Sam LaPorta did not practice for undisclosed reasons.
LaPorta has been a fixture at practice this summer in his return from back surgery. He caught a touchdown on the final play the first-team offense ran in the Lions' intrasquad scrimmage Monday, Aug. 17, and the team had a walk-through and recovery day Tuesday.
"You come off a back and you want to make sure that you're doing everything right by him and he's doing everything right, sometimes
you’ve got to protect the player from himself," Lions coach Dan Campbell said earlier this summer. "But yeah, it's pretty exciting, he feels pretty good. And so man, it'll be great to get him back. He's a big piece for our offense, he’s a weapon.”
LaPorta set a then-rookie record for catches by a tight end with 86 for 869 yards in 2023. He caught 60 passes for 726 yards in 2024 and had 40 catches for 489 yards in nine games last season.
Brock Wright took most of the first-team reps in LaPorta's absence Wednesday.
Williams declined to stop for an interview after practice, but was a full participant in individual and team drills.
It's unclear if either Williams or LaPorta will play in the Lions' preseason game Saturday, Aug. 22, against the Washington Commanders.
Dave Birkett covers the Lions for the Detroit Free Press. Contact him at dbirkett@freepress.com. Follow him on Bluesky, X and Instagram at @davebirkett.
This article originally appeared on Detroit Free Press: Jameson Williams back at Lions practice, but Sam LaPorta sits out
