The Detroit Lions are facing an uphill battle on their offensive line this offseason.
They knew things would be tough heading into the new league year as Kevin Zeitler left to join the Tennessee Titans.
That already gave the Lions one former Pro Bowler to replace.
There were also questions about Graham Glasgow's standing with the team after he showed signs of decline during the 2024 season.
Then Frank Ragnow announced that he would be retiring and the situation got a lot worse for the Lions.
Ragnow was an All-Pro last season and has been a pivotal piece of their O-line's success in recent years.
Now the Lions are left with a bunch of young options, Glasgow, and the newly acquired Trystan Colon to man the interior of their offensive line.
It's a definite cause for concern for a Lions squad that has been able to lean on the strength of their line during their ascent to the title of best offense in the NFL.
However, that concern might not be bad news for one player in the Lions organization.
Blocking issues for the Lions could lead to a career year for Sam LaPorta.
After earning All-Pro honors as a rookie with 86 catches for 889 yards and 10 touchdowns, LaPorta took a bit of a step back last season.
In year two he saw his targets decrease by 37 and ended up with just 60 catches for 726 yards and seven touchdowns.
I have been expecting LaPorta's numbers to come back up in 2025 since the Lions hired John Morton as their new offensive coordinator.
Morton fed Austin Seferian-Jenkins a steady diet of targets the last time he was an OC and LaPorta is simply a much better tight end than ASJ.
However, the questions about the team's blocking in the middle of their line could have an even larger impact on his numbers.
It's not always a positive for a tight end when his team struggles to pass protect. It was a big issue for Mark Andrews last season as he was asked to block more and saw his numbers take a hit.
That shouldn't be an issue for LaPorta as putting him on the end of the line wouldn't really help the guards and center with their assignments.
Instead, the Lions will likely need to keep Jahmyr Gibbs and David Montgomery in to block more if the interior struggles to protect Jared Goff.
That would take away direct target competition for LaPorta.
He has a career average depth of target of 7.0 yards. That means his most immediate competition for targets are Amon-Ra St. Brown, whose ADOT was 7.7 last season, and the running backs.
If the running backs run less routes because they are blocking, it should mean more targets for LaPorta.
Protection issues are also good news for players with low ADOTs. If the quarterback doesn't have time to throw, they'll be more likely to look short.
That should also mean more targets for LaPorta.
The Lions' offensive line situation should also make LaPorta particularly important in some of the team's toughest matchups.
The Eagles remain elite at defensive tackle. The Chiefs, Ravens, Rams, and Buccaneers all feature players who are going to test the Lions' interior snap after snap.
In games that should be competitive throughout, LaPorta will have chances to thrive as a safety valve for Goff.
The Lions' offense as a whole will take a step back in 2025 if their new offensive line isn't able to get the job done on the inside, but LaPorta could potentially finish the year as the TE1 if the middle of the Lions' O-line struggles in pass protection.
