The Detroit Lions have announced that defensive lineman Alim McNeill has been downgraded to out for the remainder of the game against the Arizona Cardinals due to a shoulder injury. McNeill, a key piece of the Lions’ defensive front, exited the game after suffering the injury, and the team has confirmed he will not return.
Why it Matters
This is a significant blow to Detroit’s defense, as McNeill has been a reliable force on the interior of the line. His absence will force the Lions to rely more heavily on their depth to maintain control in the trenches.
As the Lions battle the Arizona Cardinals, this injury adds to the challenges they’ll face defensively. Stay tuned for further updates on McNeill’s status as the team evaluates his condition moving forward.
Contract Extension on the Horizon for Alim McNeill
At the end of August, Lions GM Brad Holmes said the team is in early contract talks with McNeill.
“He’s been a darn good player for us,” Holmes said as quoted by Pride of Detroit. “We haven’t had anything intense going on from a dialogue standpoint, but his camp knows that we want to get something done. But it’s very in the infancy stages right now.”
“The markets going to change every single (day, and) you don’t know what’s going to happen tomorrow,” Holmes said. “We’ve always felt the earlier the better for everybody. First of all, I know that the player doesn’t want to wait around and be strung along, and us as an organization, we do a lot of planning and preparation to reward these players as early as possible […] that’s how we choose to operate.”
