Detroit Lions defensive tackle Alim McNeill is trending in the right direction as he continues his recovery from a torn ACL. He suffered the injury in the Lions’ Week 15 loss to the Buffalo Bills last season.
Though currently on the physically unable to perform (PUP) list, McNeill offered a highly encouraging update on his status Monday, signaling that his focus has shifted from rehabilitation to regular training.
“I’m doing great,” McNeill said, via the Lions team website. “I don’t really call it rehab anymore. I’m in a spot now where I’m just training. I feel really good. Things are going good, so I can’t complain. I feel great.”
While McNeill didn’t give a firm timetable for his return, Detroit general manager Brad Holmes recently shared with Sirius XM Radio that there’s optimism McNeill could return earlier than initially anticipated. That would be welcome news for a Lions defensive line that is quietly forming into one of the most formidable fronts in the NFL.
McNeill has become one of the most productive interior defenders in the league. In 2023, he earned an 88.5 overall grade from Pro Football Focus (PFF), ranking as the sixth-highest graded defensive tackle in football. He accumulated 5.0 sacks and 34 pressures that season. In 2024, before his injury, he remained productive with 45 pressures, 3.5 sacks, and a 79.6 PFF grade – good for the 13th-best mark among interior linemen.
In McNeill’s absence, the Lions have seen promising signs from rookie Tyleik Williams. The 2025 first-round pick is coming off a strong training camp performance Monday, highlighted by two sacks of Detroit signal-caller Jared Goff.
Additionally, veteran DJ Reader, who joined the Lions in 2024, is another integral piece of the team’s interior rotation. He’ll be relied upon even more heavily for consistent production with McNeill on the shelf to start the season.
Reader and McNeill combined for 6.5 sacks, 49 quarterback hurries and 65 total pressures a season ago.
When McNeill is cleared to return, he’ll join a talented interior group bookended by EDGE defenders Aidan Hutchinson and Marcus Davenport. The Lions ranked fourth in the NFL last season with 132 total pressures from their interior defensive linemen, trailing only Denver, Seattle and Philadelphia.
For now, McNeill’s positive health update is a promising sign for a defense with lofty expectations headed into the 2025 regular season.
McNeill, a 2021 third-round pick of the organization, will be just 25 this upcoming season. He’s signed with Detroit through the 2028 campaign.
