Dan Campbell unveils when the Lions plan to try to play Alim McNeill in his first game this season
McNeill could be back very soon, maybe even next week
On Monday, Detroit Lions head coach Dan Campbell dropped some big news when he said that the Lions may start Alim McNeill’s 21-day clock this week.
Campbell then went on 97.1 The Ticket on Tuesday morning and doubled down on that and seemed even more for sure about the idea that McNeill would be returning this week. Now, the big question is, when will the Lions have him suit up again? Campbell alluded to the plan there.
The Lions would like to have McNeill play before their Week 8 bye
“I think we’re gonna see if we can do that,” Campbell said on Tuesday when asked if McNeill would play before the bye. “Really, so much of it is about, What does he look like? How does he feel? I think it would be nice to be that if we could, but we’re not gonna, you know, say for sure, like, ‘all right, this is when you’re playing. There’s no doubt about it.’ Let’s just see where he’s at.”
It is a 21-day clock. If the Lions start that clock on Wednesday, and they take it all the way to day 21, that takes them to the day after their Week 7 game against the Tampa Bay Buccaneers. It’s hard to see the Lions doing that if they feel he’s 94.6% ready to go. Those were the numbers that McNeill used, by the way. He told Campbell that when the team feels he’s 94.6% ready, it’s time to put him back in. They must feel that way now.
Explaining the 21-day clock for the Detroit Lions and Alim McNeill
- When a player is returning from IR, a team will open a 21-day clock for that player
- This means the player has 21 days to practice and show that he’s healthy
- If the player is not activated within those 21 days, the team then has to return the player to IR, and their season is over
- Players can be activated at any time during those 21 days
So we’ll see what game they plan to put him back in for sure. This Sunday against the Cincinnati Bengals is probably not the one, but never say never, I suppose. Next week, the Lions take on the Kansas City Chiefs, and then they have the Monday night game against the Bucs.
If I’m the Lions, and I feel he’s ready, I’m dropping him in against the Chiefs and having him return in a big spot on Sunday Night Football.
By the way, getting McNeill back would be such a big addition to this defensive line that is already wreaking a little bit of havoc right now. This team has put up 75 pressures and 15 sacks in the first four games of the year. That’s with rookie Tyleik Williams in the middle.
With McNeill taking that spot, this line becomes even more dangerous because McNeill can rush the passer, too. We’ll see what happens soon enough, but it sounds like the plan is to get him back in before the bye.
Detroit Lions News
5 cornerbacks the Lions could look to make a move for with Terrion Arnold and D.J. Reed dealing with injuries, including one that the Lions have already coached and a future Hall of Famer
With Reed and Arnold possibly missing significant time, the Lions may need to go shopping
