The Detroit Lions could be getting a big piece of their defensive line back very, very soon. Lions coach Dan Campbell revealed on Monday that they are considering starting the practice window for defensive tackle Alim McNeill later this week.
“We’re close on Mac,” Campbell said. “There’s a good chance we may start Mac’s clock this week. That’s good. We want to make sure we check all those. boxes before we say that’s what we’re going to do for sure. But it’s trending the right way. Mac’s—he’s about ready to go, and I think he’s tired of training.”
McNeill suffered a torn ACL back in December, and initial projections had him returning to the lineup around Thanksgiving. However, all offseason, the Lions have been hinting at McNeill being ahead of schedule in his rehab, and this all but confirms it.
If McNeill returns to practice this week, the Lions will have 21 days to evaluate him before they need to activate him to the 53-man roster. Of course, if he’s ready to play at any point during that 21-day window, the Lions can activate him immediately. But with Detroit’s bye week three weeks away, the Lions may opt to utilize the entirety of McNeill’s window to make sure he has his football legs under him before throwing him out there on the field. If that’s the case, McNeill would return to the lineup in Week 9 against the Minnesota Vikings.
McNeill was one of the team’s best defensive players over the past few years. Before his ACL tear, McNeill posted 25 tackles, seven tackles for loss, 3.5 sacks, and PFF’s 11th highest grade (79.6) among interior defensive linemen.
Campbell did not provide updates on all of the other players who are now eligible to return to practice, including linebacker Malcolm Rodriguez or defensive end Josh Paschal. However, he was asked about rookie Miles Frazier, and did not have an optimistic update about the offensive lineman.
“He is progressing not as fast as we’d hoped,” Campbell said. “I can’t say that we won’t get him back at some point this year, but it’s not as clear as, say, (Christian) Mahogany was last year. It was very clear at this point that, ‘Okay, he’s getting healthier. He’s starting to feel better.’ We’re not quite there, but he is improving.”
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