By Sunday 
It’s been a long wait for Alim McNeill — 10 months of rehab, patience, and relentless visualization. But now, the Detroit Lions defensive lineman is finally back and ready to make an impact under the Monday Night Football lights against the Tampa Bay Buccaneers.
“That’s all I’ve been envisioning”
If there’s one thing about McNeill, it’s his focus. The man doesn’t do “off” days.
“I’ll just be sitting at home, just visualizing making plays and stuff like that,” he said this week. “So I see myself fitting in just fine—being explosive, getting off blocks, creating pressure on the quarterback, you know, making plays in the backfield.”
Since tearing his ACL last December against Buffalo and undergoing surgery on January 2, McNeill’s been laser-focused on this exact moment. Ten months later, that vision is finally becoming reality.
Full-go and fully confident
McNeill’s been a full participant in practice, looking like his old self. Head coach Dan Campbell even joked that the offensive line “hates him right now” — which, honestly, is the best compliment a defensive lineman can get.
“Alim’s freakin’ playing, man,” Campbell said earlier this week.
For McNeill, though, it’s not about the spectacle. “People get hurt and come back all the time,” he said. “Why would I make a big deal out of it? Let’s just go play football.”
That’s the energy Detroit needs.
Back beside Hutchinson — and better than ever
Teammate Aidan Hutchinson couldn’t hide his excitement. “It’s going to be so good to have him back,” Hutchinson said. “We’ll be playing beside each other again—it’s going to be really great to get him back.”
The two have already been working on their chemistry — head nods, small cues, the kind of connection that only comes with time and trust. Together, they could turn Detroit’s already dangerous pass rush into something special.
No rest after the return
McNeill’s comeback conveniently lands right before the Lions’ bye week — but don’t expect him to kick back. “I’ll be working out, doing different stuff though,” he said. “It’s not going to really feel like a bye week to me.”
That’s Alim McNeill in a nutshell: never off, never out of focus, and never anything less than all-in.