If Sam LaPorta doesn’t come back for the Lions this season, it’s time to move forward with the experiment Detroit is already trying
Lets see what the rookie can do.
The Detroit Lions’ offense struggled against the Philadelphia Eagles on Sunday night, and one of the reasons is that Jared Goff didn’t have his safety valve, Sam LaPorta. All season, we’ve seen Goff go that route any time. Now, LaPorta is out with a back injury, and we don’t know if he will return this season.
Lions head coach Dan Campbell said after Sunday’s loss that the team was hopeful to get LaPorta back this year, but they’re not sure if it’s actually happening. So what does Detroit do at tight end? It has guys who can block in Brock Wright and Ross Dwelley, and we know that. But the Lions need a pass catcher, so it might be time to think outside the box a little.
Jackson Meeks should go full Devin Funchess and be the Lions’ pass-catching tight end down the stretch
The Lions have this rookie receiver just sitting on the practice squad, and we know what he can do as a pass catcher. He can make things happen, and he’s shown this summer and in college that he is a hard guy to tackle. There is just so much about him that is tight end-like that it makes a lot of sense to see what he can do in that area.
The one concern is the obvious one, and that’s his size. He’s not small, but he’s a good 30 pounds lighter than LaPorta. Still, the Lions have already tried him there a bit. He played some snaps there against the Browns in Week 4. Campbell recently talked about the possibility of the move.
“No, not necessarily. I mean, there were some things he did on scout team that really caught our eye, really leading up to – I mean, this has been three or four weeks ago. We had to use him – it was by necessity,” Campbell said. “We had to use him on some scout team tight end, and one day I watched him, he’s mixing it up with (Lions EDGE Al-Quadin) Muhammad. And you guys know what we think about Muhammad, the type of player he is – especially in the run, setting edges and stuff – and he kind of held his own.
“Didn’t look – I’m not saying he won the rep, but he didn’t look like a fish out of water. It looked like, ‘Woah, this is kind of natural for him.’ He’s got some strength, he’s got some size, and we know the athlete. He’s big skill, he’s a big athlete, he’s got length, can play strong. So, then we just kind of moved him over there a little bit, and he’s been working with (Tight Ends Coach) Tyler Roehl). Now he still does scout team receiver, and he’s still working with (Lions Assistant Head Coach/Wide Receivers) Scottie (Montgomery), too, here and there.
“So yeah, we’re just kind of tinkering with him. Maybe there’s an H-back in there. There’s an athlete, so we’ll see. We’re just going to keep working with him. He works hard. Man, he works hard, and he’s smart too.”
So, the Lions certainly have some interest in playing Meeks elsewhere, and like Campbell said, they have him working with Roehl already. Here’s a good chance to see some proof of concept.
Throw him out there against the Giants and throw a couple of balls his way, and let’s see what he can do with it. The Lions are in this territory where they’re still good and the season isn’t over, but maybe you don’t leave any stones unturned.
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