Important Lions defender gets major shade as he works on vital 2025 comeback

The Detroit Lions are more healthy in 2025 than they were for the entirety of last season, but there are still a few critical players working their way back from left over injuries.

Defensively, Alim McNeill is one of the most important players the Lions have. McNeill has been a plugger who helps set the tone in the middle of Detroit's line in terms of run stopping since he was drafted in 2022, and has proven himself as a valuable player defensively.

In spite of that, not everyone is a true believer in what McNeill can do on the field. The Lions just rewarded McNeill with a new contract extension that they saw as vital for their defense. Still, Bleacher Report and Brad Gagnon named him to their "all overpaid team" for Week 1 at defensive tackle.

"The good news is McNeill's 2024 contract extension won't kick in until after a 2025 campaign in which he costs the Lions just $6.1 million. The bad news is he'll count nearly $29 million against the cap in 2026 alone, and that'll only rise in 2027 and 2028."

"At 25, he has little time to bolster his game, especially as he's still recovering from a major knee injury that could limit him this season. And prior to that, he was a zero-time Pro Bowler with 11.5 sacks and two forced fumbles in his four-year career. That just doesn't cut it for a guy who is earning the league's fifth-highest salary at his position."

The Lions consider McNeill important, and the franchise merely paid what is seen as the going rate for elite defensive linemen. To that end, it's hard to argue with the decision to keep McNeill within the core for the future.

Only time will tell if his recovery progresses and McNeill can be a key part of the rotation this season. Until that is proven, some believe he is already slightly overrated.

Dan Campbell happy DJ Reader is around to boost Lions' defensive front

While the Lions won't have McNeill in the fold early this season, they do have the advantage of being covered with a veteran. Reader has been impressive this offseason, and the Lions will be depending on him and others to step up and fill the void left by their young tackle.

Fortunately, Campbell believes Reader is up to the challenge of stepping up, because he's fully healthy and has had a fantastic time preparing for the season.

"He knows what he's about here and what he means to us, and I think he's one of those guys who's just silently gotten better, too. He was coming off the quad injury and worked himself back, rehabbed (and) I thought had a really good year for us last year. And he looks better, too, because he had a full offseason."

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Reader's up and down 2024 season might have been caused more by injury rehab than anything else. Now, he's completely ready to go and Campbell sees his presence as important.

"He's almost two years removed from the injury he had, so he's in a good spot and absolutely we're going to need him. I hate to say (he's been) silent, but he's had this quiet really kick-*** camp. He's shown up, so he's a staple for us right now and yes, we're going to need him. He's big for us."

Without McNeill, the Lions will have to hope they have enough to get by. Even though many might consider him overpaid, it's hard to argue the important role he has for the Lions.