Lions 2026 PUP-tentials with Sam LaPorta Surgical Update
Who might start camp on PUP? Plus analysis of LaPorta's surgical reveal.
Training camp opens for the rookies on July 25 and the veterans on July 28. Players who are going on the PUP (physically unable to perform) list must be placed on PUP before the start of camp. The PUP list will give us more information on the status of many of the Lions health concerns.
A player who avoids the PUP list implies there are no active concerns and the player is ready to go. Placement on the PUP list isn’t necessary a major concern as it could just be a precautionary move. A player can be taken off the PUP at any time - even as soon as the next day.
There is always the possibility of surprises on the PUP list. But the following five Lions are the most likely to land on PUP - ranked in order of most likely.
#1 Brian Branch
Branch had his Achilles rupture in December of 2025, which puts his expected return to action around October or November. Thus, there may be nothing to see throughout all of camp for Branch. He’ll likely start camp on the PUP list and stay there into the season.
For more on Branch’s Achilles…
#2 Kerby Joseph
At some point during training camp, Joseph will fully test his knee to see if it is able to handle football. Will that happen early in camp or late? An extra couple weeks of rest won’t make any difference at this point - 10 months since his last game action in October 2025.
Joseph might start camp on the PUP list although I’m not sure what value that would provide. It just delays the inevitable make-or-break testing of his knee. Might as well start ramping things up immediately to see how it goes.
Even if the initial knee response is favorable, he’ll still be on significant load management throughout camp. Recall last year, he missed a lot of training camp practices due to this same knee issue.
For the concern on Joseph’s knee…
#3 Ben Bartch
Bartch had last season ended in December by a Lisfranc injury with surgery. It was disappointing that he did not participate at all in Lions OTA and minicamp this offseason.
Lisfranc’s can be a tricky injury with an unreliable recovery. If he starts camp on PUP, the concern levels will continue to rise.
For more details on Bartch’s history…
#4 Tyler Conklin
Conklin missed the latter part of OTA and all of the subsequent minicamp for unknown reasons. We’ll find out very quickly how significant all that was. An avoidance of PUP would be reassuring.
For the full report on Conklin…
#5 Sam LaPorta
LaPorta had his herniated disc surgery back in November 2025. He was still limited to just walk/jog-throughs this offseason.
I initially had LaPorta #2 on this PUP-tential list. But reports on July 21 via Jeremy Fowler and Adam Schefter have him already fully cleared for camp.
This report also comes with specifics of the back surgery - a microdiscectomy. As I speculated in January, this type of spine procedure was one of the strong possibilities, with the others being a disc excision and spinal fusion…
A microdiscectomy can have a recovery in the 3-4 month range, so it’s not a surprise that LaPorta is ready at 8 months post surgery. The concern moving forward is if there will be a recurrence of the back issue.
Notable athletes with suspected microdiscectomies include Rob Gronkowski, JJ Watt, Peyton Manning, Tony Romo, and Tiger Woods. All of them ended up with recurrent spine issues and needing multiple spine surgeries.
Thus, even though it’s good news that LaPorta is a full-go now, he will have durability question marks for the 2026 season and likely the rest of his career. I anticipate the Lions will load-manage him throughout training camp to limit the aggravation to his spine.
Other Players to Watch During Camp
The following two players are at no risk to start on PUP, but are high on the watchlist throughout training camp due to their significant injury histories.