The Detroit Lions had a new offensive coordinator last season, and the results remained good overall as they finished top-five in the league in points and total yardage. But a deeper look shows regression in some areas, and it got bad enough that head coach Dan Campbell took over play calling in the middle of the season.
It was also, essentially, a tale of two halves for the Lions' offense in 2025. Over the first nine games, they averaged 31.4 points per game. Over the final eight games, they dropped to 24.8 points per game. That basically touchdown per-game drop is the difference between being the league's top-scoring offense to being the 12th-best last season.
But what caused that drop-off?
The clear dividing line was represented by tight end Sam LaPorta. He suffered a serious back injury in Week 10, the ninth game of the season, landed on IR and he missed the rest of the season. The impact of his absence showed itself immediately, and did not subside.
No other Lions' pass catcher quite brings to the table all that LaPorta does, and it showed.
Drop-off in production from Lions' tight ends last season outlines need to bolster the depth chart
Among his five "incredible" fantasy football stats for the Lions from last season, Shawn Childs of SI.com had one that lands as drastic and obvious all at once.
-Their TEs were minimally involved — just 67 catches (3rd fewest) for 677 yards (5th fewest).
As a rookie in 2023, LaPorta easily bested the above numbers from Lions' tight ends on his own. In 2024, he bested the yardage on his own (726) and nearly did so in catches too (60).
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The drop-off in talent level from LaPorta to any other Lions' tight end has been as dramatic as it gets on any roster in the league. But free agent signing Tyler Conklin is an upgrade over Brock Wright, and a deep draft class at the position offers an opportunity to narrow that talent gap beyond next season.
There's really no replacing LaPorta, as the Lions found out the hard (and expected) way last season. The depth chart behind him needs to be remodeled, though, and that sneaky part of the offseason agenda is part-way done. An addition in the draft is starting to feel inevitable to complete the picture, and stave off the same kind of drop in production from the position if LaPorta's recovery from back surgery has any hiccups.