10 months after tearing his ACL, Alim McNeill is ready to return. The star defensive tackle for the Lions is slated to make his season debut this coming Monday night against Baker Mayfield and the NFC-leading Bucs at Ford Field.
"Listen, barring something happening this week, Alim’s freaking playing, man," Dan Campbell said Wednesday on 97.1 The Ticket.
McNeill will be a boon to a defense that's facing some key losses in the secondary, including injured corners D.J. Reed and Terrion Arnold and suspended safety Brian Branch. Safety Kerby is also nursing a knee injury.
"Everybody loves Mac, man," said Campbell. "They know what kind of teammate he is, but what kind of production he can bring to us in the run and pass game. He’s the type of guy who elevates the guys around him. He’ll elevate their level of play or their production, just him being out there, because he’s going to draw a little bit of attention."
McNeill returned to practice two weeks ago after opening the season on injured reserve, but the Lions held him out of action against the Bengals in Week 5 and the Chiefs in Week 6. With their bye coming on the other side of Week 7, this is a good time to get him going.
"He's the best," Jared Goff said Wednesday on 97.1 The Ticket. "He's a great teammate, he's fun to be around, he's always smiling, he's always happy. You can't get that guy down. I think I've seen him be upset maybe once. It's just fun being around him. He's the most athletic big dude you've ever seen. He can do all sorts of things, and it's good to have him back, man."
At peak capacity, McNeill tends to play north of 40 snaps a game, sometimes north of 50. He would have been in line for about 20 to 25 snaps last week, Campbell said. The Lions have increased his reps in practice each of the last two weeks and will push him up another notch this week in preparation for his debut.
"Listen, this is his first game back, so he’ll have to shake off a couple of cobwebs. But after what I’ve seen the last two weeks, it won’t take long," Campbell said. "It's just good to have him back, man. He’s a pivotal piece to what we do here and he’s going to help us."