Michigan edge rusher Josaiah Stewart has met with the Detroit Lions
Defensive end Josaiah Stewart prepares for the NFL draft at Michigan football pro day in Ann Arbor, Friday, March 21, 2025.
PALM BEACH, Fla. – Detroit Lions defensive tackle Alim McNeill could miss the start of the regular season this fall because of the torn ACL he suffered in December, while the team is “very confident” defensive end Aidan Hutchinson will return to form after missing most of last year with a broken leg.
Lions coach Dan Campbell said at the NFL’s annual spring meeting Tuesday that McNeill’s recovery from ACL surgery could bleed into the start of the 2025 season.
“It’s tough to say right now when Mac will be back,” Campbell said. “ACLs are all a little bit different. Obviously, it’s not going to be training camp or probably even early part of the season.
“But we will get him back and I think the big thing here is I think get him back healthy where he feels good, he can move, obviously protect himself but still be productive.”
McNeill had 3.5 sacks in 14 games last season and led the Lions with 43 quarterback pressures.
He tore the anterior cruciate ligament in his right knee in a December loss to the Buffalo Bills and was one of five Lions defensive starters who finished the season on injured reserve.
The Lions signed nose tackle Roy Lopez in free agency to help cover for McNeill’s potential absence early this fall and re-signed Levi Onwuzurike, Pat O’Connor and Myles Adams to pair with D.J. Reader on the inside.
McNeill was considered one of the NFL’s top young interior defensive linemen before his injury − the Lions signed him to a four-year, $97 million extension last fall − and Campbell tempered expectations for the defensive tackle taking a big step forward this fall.
“I think more than anything you want him getting the back to where he felt like he was before the injury,” Campbell said. “That’s important, at least for this year. Cause that’ll be plenty. That’ll be plenty.”
Hutchinson, who had a team-high 7.5 sacks in five games last season, broke the tibia and fibula in his left leg in an October win over the Dallas Cowboys and is expected to take part in some of the Lions’ formal offseason program this spring.
On Monday, Lions general manager Brad Holmes said Hutchinson was tracking well in his rehab.
“I mean, look, we don’t have a crystal ball on anything,” Holmes said. “We’re just going to see where it’s at. But I’ve seen enough movement in mobility in running at this stage that I feel very confident where he’s going to be at.”
The Lions re-signed injured edge rusher Marcus Davenport but did little else to fortify the defensive end position this offseason should Hutchinson suffer any setbacks.
Campbell said he’s “excited” about where the line is now, but hinted more help could be coming.
“We feel good about where we’re at, man,” he said. “And we’re not done either. That’s the point. We’re not done. And we don’t know when. We don’t know, maybe it will be the draft. I mean, we’re looking at everything. It could be after the draft, it could be any time. But at this point with where we’re at, we do, we like where we’re at.”
Dave Birkett is the author of the book, “Detroit Lions: An Illustrated Timeline.” Order your copy here. Contact him at [email protected]. Follow him on Bluesky, X and Instagram at @davebirkett.
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