Sam LaPorta “looked really good” in his return to practice on Friday and will play for the Detroit Lions in Monday night’s game against the Seattle Seahawks.
“That was good to see,” Lions coach Dan Campbell said Saturday at the team’s practice facility in Allen Park. “He’s bounced back quickly, healed up nicely. So no, he’s good.”
LaPorta sprained his left ankle while blocking on the Lions’ hook-and-lateral touchdown late in the first half of last week’s win over the Arizona Cardinals.
He missed practice on Thursday but returned in a limited capacity on Friday.
The Lions’ second-leading receiver last season, LaPorta has had a slow start this year after missing time in training camp with a hamstring strain.
He has eight catches for 94 yards and no touchdowns through three games but could be a key player against Seattle’s top-ranked pass defense on Monday.
Last year, LaPorta recorded 86 receptions for 889 yards and 10 touchdowns, earning a Pro Bowl spot as a rookie.
In other injury updates, Campbell said the Lions don’t expect Frank Ragnow to go on injured reserve with his partially torn pectoral muscle. The Lions have a bye after Monday’s game, giving Ragnow extra recovery time.
Rookie guard Christian Mahogany might return to practice after the bye from the nonfootball injury list. However, Campbell still doesn’t have a timeline for safety Ifeatu Melifonwu’s return from his Achilles injury.
Melifonwu will miss his fourth straight game on Monday.
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