The Detroit Lions have some uncertainty regarding the availability of Alim McNeill in 2025.
McNeill suffered a season-ending torn ACL in December last season, and the lengthy recovery time that such injuries require could put McNeill's status for the start of the regular season in jeopardy.
During his end-of-season media availability, McNeill was optimistic about his recovery timeline and stated he was going to work hard to return to action as soon as possible. Because ACL injuries can have a recovery timeline between nine months and a year, McNeill could return as soon as September or as late as december.
McNeill has become a big part of the Lions' defense and would leave a big void if he was to miss time in the regular season. He's also in the first year of a four-year, $97 million contract extension signed in October of last season.
In 2025, McNeill is set to earn $1.17 million in base salary with $4.96 million in prorated bonuses, and his cap hit will be $6.136 million. However, his base salary and cap hit will increase greatly to $23.85 million and $28.966 million, respectively, in 2026.
Setting expectations for McNeill's return timeline and performance in 2025 could be tricky. If he has a strong offseason of rehab, then an early return becomes more likely and he could be in line to start the year on the active roster. Even if he were to be inactive for the first one or two games, that seems like the ideal scenario.
However, because of the rehab he may be unable to participate in training camp, and as a result may need practice time to get up to speed before getting into game action. There's also some risk with accelerating his timeline, as he missed four games in 2023 with a knee injury as well.
As for previous examples, there are two players who could be good comparisons for McNeill in terms of recovery timelines and overall performance. Grady Jarrett is one of the top defensive tackles in the game, and he suffered a season-ending ACL injury in Week 8 of the 2023 season.
Jarrett returned in time for the start of the regular season and played all 17 games in 2024, notching 53 combined tackles, nine tackles for loss and 2.5 sacks. However, he wasn't as explosive in the season following his injury.
There are two big differences between these two talents, the first being the timing of the injury and the second being the difference in age, as Jarrett just finished his 10th NFL season while McNeill is heading into his fifth.
Another example of a defensive lineman recovering from an injury like this that is relevant for McNeill is former Seahawks defensive end Chris Clemons, who tore his ACL in the Wild Card round during the 2013 season.
The timing of the injury can set a good timeline for McNeill. Clemons missed the first two games of the year before returning in Week 3. There is concern here, however, as Clemons was coming off three-straight double-digit sack seasons prior to his injury. In 2014, Clemons had just 4.5 sacks in 14 games.
Because of this, a moderate dip in production can be expected from McNeill in 2025. In the case of Clemons, he rebounded from a slow 2014 to have eight sacks in 2015, so the injury doesn't necessarily mean McNeill won't be the player he was prior to it throughout his career.
The Lions have already re-signed Levi Onwuzurike and added Roy Lopez to the defensive line rotation, and could utilize their depth to ease McNeill back into action rather than asking him to immediately be an every-down player when he returns.
At this point, I'm predicting McNeill to return in Week 4 and play in 14 games in 2025, producing 3.5 sacks and 10 tackles for loss.
