Two Lions defensive linemen are working together to get back on track after down seasons
Pretty cool to see two Lions bonding off field
The Detroit Lions’ defensive line didn’t look nearly as bad as some thought it did in 2025, but there were some clear setbacks for a couple of linemen who were expected to have much bigger impacts for Detroit.
We’re talking about Alim McNeill and Mekhi Wingo. McNeill was coming off a torn ACL in Week 15 of the 2024 season. Just a few weeks earlier, Wingo suffered a knee injury of his own that ended his season. When training camp started in 2025, neither were participants.
Wingo did come back in the summer, but wound up not getting much playing time during the season. He was a healthy scratch all year outside of both games against the Bears. Lions head coach Dan Campbell attributed this to both having good players in front of him and the Lions not knowing where they could fit in his play style.
McNeill came back in Week 7, but he just never really got back to being the player everyone is used to seeing him be in Detroit. That could, of course, be attributed to not being fully ready to come back.
It would appear that these two interior defensive linemen have formed a bond that goes beyond just being teammates in Detroit. They’re two players who went through similar situations and have the same goals going forward. Over the weekend, they were on the field working together, trying to get better.
“Refining the process. Sharpening the aim. Last year’s losses were just down payments on this year’s gain.
A setback is just a setup for a masterpiece. Im moving with a level of detail that borders on obsession.”
Obsession has been a thing that a lot of Lions players have shown in the past few years. It can be a good thing in athletics because it can help bring you to a place where you are obsessed with getting better or getting back to where you were, and it’s at a level most people couldn’t dream of reaching.
We’ll see what these guys bring to the field in 2026, but it’s cool to see them go through this process together.
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