ALLEN PARK -- Mekhi Wingo was activated from the physically unable to return list, and tight end Sam LaPorta returned to practice on Tuesday.
The Detroit Lions held a scrimmage outside in the rain, with LaPorta back in action during that full-team work. Wingo was limited to individual and positional work, and even got in some action against double teams on the side.
LaPorta missed a couple of days with an undisclosed injury. The tight end was expected to be down for a minute per Lions coach Dan Campbell, but ended up not missing too much time.
Morice Norris is still in concussion protocol. But the defensive back was spotted on the side working with trainers, another positive update in his recovery from the scary ordeal that happened in Atlanta. Norris did not take part in the scrimmage or any drills with teammates, as the Lions continue to take it easy with his recovery. He took his pads off after his work with the trainers, and watched the scrimmage in street clothes from the sideline.
Wingo’s return is another positive update for the defense, with cornerback and special teams ace Khalil Dorsey coming off the PUP list on Monday.
The second-year defensive lineman spoke with reporters while coming off the field. Wingo said his recovery took longer than expected after needing a clean-up procedure during the offseason after initially going under the knife back last December.
“ ... Today, they were just running me. I didn’t get my true, true first day out there yet. But today was a lot of running, so I’m definitely tired,” Wingo said. “The initial goal was to be back by the start of training camp. That didn’t happen. Had to go back in, get something cleaned up in the knee, so that kind of pushed me back a little bit. I’ve just been working my butt off, man. I’m glad to be back.”
Wingo has been working his way back from a knee injury suffered on Thanksgiving last year. He and fellow defensive lineman Alim McNeill went down around the same time, and had each other to lean on for the past eight months.
McNeill suffered a torn ACL in mid-December, and while there isn’t a firm timetable for his return. Brad Holmes, the team’s general manager, said a couple of weeks ago on Sirius XM Radio that McNeill had the potential to be back earlier than initially thought.
“It was good. Us just bouncing ideas off each other, going through some of the same things,” Wingo said of McNeill. “Just talking about what it would look like when we get back and watching film together and things of that nature.
“It’s been good having him there with me. But I’m ready for him to get back, too.”
Wingo, the team’s sixth-round pick in 2024, said it’s been a long process to get back. Now, he’s just focused on stacking good days and getting ready to face the Green Bay Packers in Week 1.
When asked if he expects to be ready for the regular-season opener, Wingo said:
“Absolutely.”
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