The Detroit Lions are getting help for their defensive line soon.
Lions coach Dan Campbell said Monday, Sept. 29, that “there’s a good chance” defensive tackle Alim McNeill will return to practice this week.
McNeill, on the physically unable to perform list, has been out since tearing the ACL and meniscus in his right knee Dec. 15, 2024, in a loss to the Buffalo Bills
“We want to make sure that we check all those boxes before we say that’s what we’re going to do for sure, but it’s trending in the right way,” Campbell said. “He’s about ready to go. I think he’s tired of training. He’s trained all he can train. He’s done everything he can do, he just needs football.”
Once McNeill returns to practice, the Lions will have 21 days to activate him to the 53-man roster.
While McNeill is a longshot to play Sunday against the Cincinnati Bengals, he could return before the Lions’ Week 8 bye for games against the Kansas City Chiefs (Oct. 12) or Tampa Bay Buccaneers (Oct. 20).
McNeill had 3½ sacks in 14 games for the Lions last season and is their best all-around interior defensive lineman. Veteran DJ Reader and rookie Tyleik Williams have started all four games at defensive tackle for the Lions (3-1) this season, and Roy Lopez and Pat O’Connor have played rotational snaps off the bench.
The Lions lead the NFL in sack percentage (11.86%) and are tied for first in total sacks (14) with two “Monday Night Football” games left in Week 4.
Miles Frazier injury update
Campbell said rookie offensive guard Miles Frazier has not progressed as fast as the team hoped coming off knee surgery and his return date remains uncertain.
“I can’t say that we won’t get him back at some point here, but it’s not as clear as, say, like (Christian) Mahogany was last year. It was very clear at this point that, ‘OK, he’s getting healthy, he’s starting to feel better.’ We’re not quite there, but he is improving.”
Mahogany made two fill-in starts as a sixth-round pick last year and has started every game at left guard this season. Frazier, a fifth-round pick out of LSU, is expected to have a backup role once he returns.
Linebacker Malcolm Rodriguez also is targeting a late-October return from his torn ACL.
