The Detroit Lions got a bit of encouraging news on Alim McNeill on Friday, with the defensive tackle reportedly “believed to be okay after leaving practice early on Friday.”
NFL insider Jordan Schultz said McNeill and Jimmy Rolder were both evaluated for a neck injury after exiting practice. For a Lions defense that has dealt with plenty of turbulence in recent seasons, any positive update on a core player matters. McNeill, who is coming back from a torn anterior cruciate ligament, remains one of the most important pieces up front.
Dan Campbell made that clear before practice, laying out just how valuable McNeill can be when offenses are forced into one-on-one situations. “Mac is very important.
It is going to be huge. Particularly when, look, on all of it, it's big, right because you're part of the other 10 that are on that field," said Campbell.
"But when you're talking about transitioning to rush off a play pass from the offense or even just, here we go, man, it's a known pass down. Somebody's going to get a one-on-one.
And, a lot of times you can fabricate it to where you're going to get two one-on-ones. Not always, but well, they're not going to let (Aidan Hutchinson) Hutch do that.
They shouldn't.
"You go back to last year, teams aren't going to allow that. We wouldn't allow that.
Sometimes it'll be Mac that has to take it. Well, now your nose or the other end's got to win, but there's these times where either he's not doubled or Hutch, they have got to win.
Mac’s got to win. And, he has the ability to win a one-on-one."
McNeill’s return last season came with some frustration on his end. He said he felt like he should have been better, and it bothered him enough that he had trouble sleeping because he knew he could have helped the team more.
This offseason, with more time to recover, he has looked much more like himself in camp. Campbell said that after the first couple days, McNeill has shown the kind of movement the Lions were hoping to see.
" I know we're only two days in, we're springing two days in, but he does look better. He looks like he's back to what he was.
He's healthy," said Campbell. "And I told you, he would never say anything about it.
He never did last year. When we went back and watched clip after clip, back-to-back-to-back, of all the seasons, when you start going through all of these, he was favoring the leg a little bit.
"I don't think he even realized it. And so, it's just good to have him back.
He looks great. He's moving well, and he's a huge piece for us on defense.”
In Other News...
Devin White Just Changed A Lions Camp Battle Fans Were Watching
Three days into training camp, the Lions are already sorting through a defense that keeps shifting a little as players move in and out of different lineups. Alim McNeill, Aidan Hutchinson and Devin White have been among the names showing up with the starters, while the team has also been trimming and adjusting around the edges, including the release of Jay Tufele before camp as a sign of confidence in the group up front.
The more interesting wrinkle is in the linebacker room, where the competition for backup roles has not stayed still. Detroit is also keeping close watch on Jimmy Rolder, and any change there naturally affects how the rest of the depth chart sorts itself out. Whites arrival suddenly carries a little more weight in that mix, because the Lions are not just looking for bodies in camp, they are trying to settle who fits where once the real rotation starts to take shape. [Read more 🡒]
Isaac TeSlaa Feeling Pressure In Lions Receiver Battle
Isaac TeSlaa has opened training camp in a spot that is starting to look uncomfortable, and the second-year wide receiver has not done much to settle the competition around him. He has been working through a tough stretch in one-on-one drills against teammates Rock Ya-Sin and Roger McCreary, even while flashing later in practice with a five-yard touchdown catch that showed why the Lions still have reason to keep watching.
The wider battle is getting crowded fast, with veterans Greg Dortch and Cedrick Wilson Jr. making strong cases for the fourth receiver job. Dan Campbell has also pointed to Dortchs value on returns while making clear the Lions like what they already have at the top of the depth chart, which only adds to the pressure on the rest of the group to separate before the roster picture starts to tighten. [Read more 🡒]
Lions Still Need One Crucial Change To Ease Pressure On Hutchinson
The Lions pass rush got plenty of volume in 2025, finishing with the ninth-most pressures in the NFL, but the distribution was telling. Most of the damage came off the edge from Aidan Hutchinson and Al-Quadin Muhammad, which is exactly why Dan Campbell has made it clear the next step is finding more push from the middle. Detroit wants to make life easier on Hutchinson by forcing quarterbacks to deal with pressure from inside as well as outside, and that puts added attention on the defensive tackle group.
Alim McNeill remains central to that plan as he works back from injury, with Tyleik Williams and Levi Onwuzurike also in line for opportunities to help change the shape of the rush. The concern for Detroit is not just adding sacks, but creating a front that can win in multiple ways and keep opponents from keying on Hutchinson snap after snap. If that balance starts to take hold, the Lions defense could look a lot less predictable when the games get tighter. [Read more 🡒]