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Dan Campbell Relays Promising Injury Update on Lions DT Alim McNeill

It sounds like Detroit's defense is getting some reinforcements back this week.
Michael Kadlick|
It sounds like Alim McNeill will be playing for the Lions this weekend.
It sounds like Alim McNeill will be playing for the Lions this weekend. | Jeff Hanisch-Imagn Images

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Detroit Lions

It sounds like the Lions are getting a key player back this week ahead of their matchup against the Buccaneers on Monday night.

During a Wednesday morning interview with 97.1 The Ticket's Costa and Jansen, Detroit coach Dan Campbell told the show that, "barring something happening this week," defensive tackle Alim McNeill (knee) is going to make his season debut in the team's Week 7 contest.

"Alim’s freaking playing, man," he said, via The Ticket's Will Burchfield. "Everybody loves Mac ... He elevates the guys around him, just him being out there. He’s a pivotal piece to what we do here."

McNeil, 25, was selected by the Lions out of NC State in the third round of the 2021 NFL draft. Amid a solid fourth season in '24, he signed a four-year, $97 million contract extension last October—but tore his ACL in Detroit's Week 15 loss to the Bills and missed the remainder of the campaign.

The Lions, with their stout defensive tackle back, will play host to the Buccaneers on Monday night. Kickoff from Ford Field will be at 7 p.m. ET.

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Mike Kadlick
MICHAEL KADLICK

Mike Kadlick is an NFL writer for Sports Illustrated. He’s also a New England Patriots reporter for CLNS Media, where he hosts the Patriots Daily podcast and covers the beat from Gillette Stadium. Before joining SI, Kadlick worked at WEEI sports radio in Boston. He holds a master’s degree in public relations from Boston University. When Kadlick’s not covering football, he can be found running, spending time with his wife and dog, and enjoying all things pizza.

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