Detroit Lions defensive tackle Alim McNeill (54) watches wears up before the Dallas Cowboys Junfu Han / USA TODAY NETWORK

Could Alim McNeill Return Before Detroit Lions Bye Week?

Originally posted on Detroit Lions on SI
By John Maakaron | Last updated Sep 30, 2025 10:27 AM ET

The Detroit Lions could have the services of defensive lineman Alim McNeill sooner than expected.

Just hours after head coach Dan Campbell told reporters the talented defender could return to practice this week, he updated McNeill's potential return timeline.

During his weekly radio interview on 97.1 The Ticket, Campbell was asked if McNeill had the potential to return to action prior to the team's bye week.

Detroit has three games ahead before their Week 8 bye. Campbell's squad faces the Bengals, Chiefs and Buccanneers before their week off.

"I think we're going to see if we can do that and how comfortable he is," said Campbell. "So much of it is about: what what does he look like? How does he feel? I think it would be nice to try to do that, if we could. But, we're not going to say for sure, 'Alright, this is when you're playing, there's no doubt about it.' Let's just see where he's at."

Detroit's fifth-year head coach praised McNeill and the team's medical staff. A significant amount of work has been done to assist the former third-round pick in his efforts to return to practice and eventually back to the field to help Kelvin Sheppard's defense.

"Dude. He's unbelievable," said Campbell. "This guy, listen, he's been trending the right way. And it's being honest, being conservative with him, making sure that we're smart about this. The guy has put in the work. He's looked phenomenal.

"We're talking about with Brett Fischer and those guys -- we were talking in August about how good the guy looked and that he may be ahead of schedule. It's just this thing's taken off and his strength is really good in the knee. And that's the that's the biggest thing is getting the strength and flexibility back in the knee," Campbell commented further. "And he got that pretty quick, because of the work that he put into it."

Detroit tends to be conservative in their approach to playing members of the roster that are returning from injury. Campbell noted he wants McNeill to be able to produce and be able to protect himself.

"It's just been about, man, let's make sure we're smart with this," Campbell said. "That we reach that minimum threshold as to, okay man, we know this thing is healed, it's ready, the flexibility is right and the strength is right. And he can protect himself and produce. So, he's there, we feel like."

If the team decides to wait, the first game back for McNeill could be Week 9 against the Minnesota Vikings.

This article first appeared on Detroit Lions on SI and was syndicated with permission.

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