Detroit Lions' Alim McNeill Returns to Practice, Kerby Joseph Out

Detroit Lions returned to the practice field on Wednesday ahead of Bengals game.

Detroit Lions defensive tackle Alim McNeill, right, high-fives linebacker Derrick Barnes during warmups | Junfu Han / USA TODAY NETWORK

The Detroit Lions returned to the practice field on Wednesday, ahead of their Week 5 road contest against the Cincinnati Bengals.

Prior to practice, head coach Dan Campbell announced defensive lineman Alim McNeill would officially be returning to practice and his 21-day practice window has been started.

"So, we're starting Mac's block (21-day window) today. He's a little nervous, so he's ready to go," said Campbell. "Like I said, I'm sorry for some of those guys that are going to line up across from him. He's ready to go."

The 25-year-old still remains on the Physically Unable to Perform list, and does not officially count on the team's active roster list.

He can be eligible to play, but must first be activated off of PUP and placed on the 53-man active roster. After a period of 21 days, if he's not activated, then he must sit out for the remainder of the season.

Those not spotted at the team's Allen Park practice facility included running back Sione Vaki, safety Kerby Joseph, linebacker Zach Cunningham, cornerbacks D.J. Reed and Khalil Dorsey and left tackle Taylor Decker.

Terrion Arnold, who hurt his shoulder against the Browns, was spotted at practice and participated during individual drills.

Detroit dealt with a myriad of injuries last season, especially on the defensive side of the football.

Campbell was asked this week if there were lessons he learned back in 2024 about patching holes on an injured defense. There is an expectation the team could be without Reed this week.

“I don’t even know if last year was necessarily a lesson as it was, listen, we had a slew of injuries in ‘21, ‘22 early and we knew this could be an issue," said Campbell. "So, we’ve always preached 'next man up' and getting the next guys ready to go, getting them reps in practice, which we’ve been doing from camp to even now during the season, going on four weeks."

Detroit's coaching staff has preached utilizing practice as opportunities for all members of the roster to gain experience from "real" reps.

"Man, our next guys up get reps. They get real reps. They get our scheme, our work, running our plays. They’re expected to step in, and we don’t lose a beat," Campbell explained. "They know that, that’s the expectation here and that is the standard. Whether it’s (Khalil Dorsey) Dorse or Rock (Ya-Sin), they’re going to be ready to go. They’re going to step up and we’re not going to miss a beat. That’s the whole point.”

Update on Josh Paschal

Detroit's fifth-year head coach indicated the status of defensive lineman Josh Paschal remains exactly the same.

When asked by Lions OnSI if there was a clear timetable for his return to action, Campbell expressed, "No, I would say the same thing as I said, whenever that was a week or two ago, he's improving, but he's not ready yet."