Amid the long list of injuries the Detroit Lions were hit by on the defensive side of the ball last season, defensive tackle Alim McNeill's torn ACL in Week 15 against the Buffalo Bills was toward the top of the list in terms of impact. And with it happening so late, his status for the start of this season was automatically in doubt.
So it was no surprise when McNeill opened the season on IR. Now approaching 10 months removed from his injury, October seemed like a viable target for his return to action. Head coach Dan Campbell confirmed the start of the fifth-year defensive tackle's 21-day activation clock would start, now that four games have passed and indeed McNeill was a limited participant in Wednesday's practice.