Detroit Lions defensive tackle Alim McNeill just crossed over the nine-month mark since he tore his ACL in the team’s loss to the Buffalo Bills last December. And while the recovery time for a player of his size can sometimes reach a full year or more, the Lions’ defensive standout recently gave a very positive update to Detroit Football Network’s Justin Rogers.
Per Rogers, McNeill said he feels 93-94% recovered from the injury thanks to his relentless offseason rehab. The process, which included physical, red light, and shockwave therapy, has been exhaustive. But he’s been back in Detroit with the team since May, and even believes that if he had to go out there and play on Monday, he could.
Rogers:
McNeill notes that if he needed to suit up and play a game this week, he’s confident he could. He also knows the smart thing to do is finish that last 6-7% of his recovery, particularly strengthening the muscles around the injury to a point that it’s stronger and more stable than it was before he went down.
This isn’t the first we’ve heard of McNeill being ahead of schedule. Back in August, Lions general manager Brad Holmes noted that McNeill’s rehab was very encouraging.
“Having Alim on his way back, which I think that, you know, that has a potential to be a little bit earlier than expected,” Holmes told SiriusXM. “Because he’s doing great right now.”
But before you go grabbing your McNeill jersey and prepare for his return, there are a couple of things to remember. First, because McNeill started the season on the reserve/Physically Unable to Perform list, he must sit out at least the first four games of the season before he can even return to practice. That means the earliest he could return to the practice field is prior to the team’s Week 5 matchup against the Cincinnati Bengals. Beyond that, the Lions typically want their players to get at least a week or two of practices in off of a major injury before playing on game day. So even with the most optimistic of timelines, McNeill isn’t expected to return until at least mid-October, with November being far more likely.
Still, this is a very encouraging update regarding one of Detroit’s most important players. Last year, the Lions handed McNeill a four-year, $97 million extension. He’s a critical part to the team’s run defense, and he was just coming into his own as an interior pass rusher, posting PFF’s 16th highest pass rushing grade among interior defensive linemen in 2023 and 13th last year.
While it will almost certainly take McNeill some time to acclimate, even when he’s on the field again, hopefully this positive news means that he’ll be hitting his stride just in time for a playoff push.
Head to Detroit Football Network for the full story on McNeill’s rehab.
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