During their press briefings at the NFL owners meetings in Palm Beach this week, both Lions GM Brad Holmes and head coach Dan Campbell threw some cold water on the status of injured defensive tackle Alim McNeill.
McNeill tore the ACL in his right knee in December. The standout DT is progressing, but the recovery timeline has generally been expected to bleed into the 2025 regular season. Both Campbell and Holmes confirmed that unfortunate prognosis this week.
Holmes offered an optimistic take on McNeill while also acknowledging that he won't be ready for the beginning of the season.
"We don't have a crystal ball on anything," Holmes told reporters. "We're just gonna see where it's at. But I've seen enough movement and mobility on running in this stage that I feel very confident about where he's gonna be at."
Campbell offered the same tone, noting that McNeill won't be ready for Week 1 and "even the early part of the season." The head coach added that they are hopeful McNeill can return to full speed by the end of the regular season and "that will be plenty."
Detroit relied heavily on McNeill's interior presence in both the run defense and the pass rush. He produced 3.5 sacks, 38 QB hurries and 7.5 TFLs in 14 games--all of which led the Lions interior defenders in 2024.
This article originally appeared on Lions Wire: Lions offer timetable on injured DT Alim McNeill into the 2025 season
