The Detroit Lions announced on Wednesday that they are opening the 21-day evaluation window on defensive tackle Alim McNeill, allowing him to practice for the first time since tearing his ACL last December.
“So, we’re starting Mac’s clock today,” Lions coach Dan Campbell said at his Wednesday press conference. “I think he’s a little nervous [Campbell joked]… He’s ready to go. Like I said, I feel sorry for some of those guys who’ll have to line up across from him. He’s ready to go. He’s ready to start practicing.”
McNeill will now be able to practice with the team for the next three weeks, without counting against the team’s 53-man roster, while the team assesses his health. Once they feel he’s ready to return to the active roster, they can remove him from the PUP list and add him to the active roster at any time. That means McNeill could potentially see the field on game day against the Bengals (Week 5), Chiefs (Week 6), Bucs (Week 7), or the Lions could choose to wait until after their bye in Week 8.
A return to the lineup would give the Lions yet another stout interior run defender, while also bringing an interior pass rush that has been a missing piece to a strong defensive front. Last season, McNeill was dominating in the trenches, earning a 79.6 overall grade from PFF, including a 77.1 pass rushing grade.
McNeill is one of four players who have been on injury lists since the offseason. While things have been trending up for a while regarding McNeill, the news hasn’t been as positive for defensive end Josh Paschal or guard Miles Frazier. There is currently no timeline for Paschal to return, while the team is hoping to have Frazier back at some point this season.
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