Detroit Lions tight end Sam LaPorta suffered a knee injury during his team’s Week 18 win over the Minnesota Vikings on Sunday and will likely miss the first round of the playoffs.
This is a massive blow to a Lions offense that relied an awful lot on LaPorta in the passing game. So, how could they replace him?
Tom Pelissero of NFL media pitches an interesting idea, suggesting that Detroit brings on free-agent tight end Zach Ertz.
Pelissero notes that Ertz’ former tight ends coach from the Arizona Cardinals, Steve Heiden, is now the Lions’ tight ends coach and that Ertz has enough experience to “plug and play” in the postseason.
Ertz was waived by the Cardinals in late November and remains unsigned. In seven games with Arizona this season, the veteran logged 27 catches for 187 yards and a touchdown.
The 33-year-old, who played his collegiate football at Stanford, was originally selected by the Philadelphia Eagles in the second round of the 2013 NFL Draft.
Ertz spent the first eight-and-a-half years of his career with the Eagles, making three straight trips to the Pro Bowl between 2017 and 2019. His best campaign came in 2018, when he hauled in 116 receptions for 1,163 yards and eight touchdowns.
Philadelphia ultimately traded Ertz to the Cardinals midway through the 2021 season.
While Ertz is certainly not the same elite pass-catcher from his prime days in Philly, he remains a viable option who could absolutely help a team like the Lions that is in need of an injury replacement.
Detroit just won its first division title since 1993 and will host the Los Angeles Rams in the Wild Card Round of the playoffs next Sunday.
We’ll see if the Lions take Pelissero up on his idea and sign Ertz.