The Detroit Lions closed out Week 2 of OTAs with a short practice on Thursday afternoon in front of local media. While the day started with the awful news that fifth-round rookie receiver Kendrick Law suffered a torn ACL earlier in the week, Detroit did get some positive injury news on Thursday. After missing practice last Friday, both cornerback Terrion Arnold and tight end Sam LaPorta participated during the team’s sixth OTA session.
Let’s do a full breakdown of attendance for Week 2 of OTAs:
Not
practicing/seen
- TE Miles Kitselman
- OL Ben Bartch
- S Brian Branch
- S Kerby Joseph
Bartch has now missed two public practices in a row with an undisclosed injury. He was unable to finish his 2025 season with the 49ers due to a foot sprain. It’s not known if that’s what he is currently dealing with at the time of this publishing.
Kitselman, an undrafted rookie, was not seen on the practice field after practicing last week.
Branch and Joseph continue to miss practices, as expected. Prior to practice, Dan Campbell provided an update on Joseph’s condition, reiterating that they are purposely holding him back, waiting to see how his knee will react to on-field work during training camp.
“It’s not worth it right now. We’re just slowly building, continuing to strengthen there,” Campbell said. “He’s getting treatment; he’s done some of these different things in different places to try and help. So I feel good about that. I feel good about that we’ve done everything we can and so has he. So we won’t know. Honestly, we probably won’t know until we get into the thick of training camp.”
Returned to practice:
- TE Sam LaPorta (limited)
- TE Zach Horton
- CB Terrion Arnold (limited)
LaPorta and Arnold both participated in about 30 minutes of walkthroughs to begin practice. When the team then transitioned to individual and positional drills, both players headed for the locker room.
That’s a huge step for LaPorta, who finished last season on injured reserve with a back injury that required surgery. While it’s not a complete surprise that he’s back—coach Dan Campbell noted he had participated in walkthroughs and jog-throughs earlier this offseason—it’s a great sign that he could be ready to go to start the season.
A little less is known about Arnold’s condition. He did end last season sidelined with a shoulder injury. It’s unclear if that’s why the Lions are being cautious with him or if it’s another injury he’s dealing with.
There’s no public information about Horton’s absence last week, but his return is good news for a player that will be fighting for a roster spot in a competitive tight end room.
