Detroit Lions Signed Defensive Tackle.
Alim McNeill is expected to be out for the rest of the season. The Lions defensive tackle was having one of the best seasons of his career until he suffered a knee injury in Week 13 against the Saints.
According to NFL Network’s Ian Rapoport, the Lions have signed defensive tackle Tyson alualu to their practice squad. Alualu had a rough second half against the Saints.
Bohanna, who has been promoted and benched multiple times, could find himself on the active roster as well, which would require the front office to replace him on the practice team.
Lions place promising young defensive tackle on injured reserve after knee injury.
Alim McNeill, the Lions’ star defensive tackle, has been placed on injured reserve with a knee sprain that will keep him out for at least four games.
According to ESPN, McNeill was placed on IR on December 5 and is expected to be out for the remainder of the season, though he may be eligible to return in time for the playoffs.
The injury is a major blow to the Lions’ defense, which has already been decimated by a slew of other injuries, including the loss of a talented cornerback, Emmanuel Moseley, and a strong safety, C. J. Gardner-Johnson, to season-ending injuries.
The Lions add depth after losing Alim McNeill.
Lions Sign Tyson Alualu To Practice Squad
The Lions signed free agent defensive tackle Tyson Alualu on the practice squad. Alualu has a career-high five sacks and a career-best 31 tackles through 12 games this season.
According to ESPN, Alualu joins the Lions on the practice squad as a veteran fill-in at defensive tackle.
Alualu was a 10th-round draft pick in 2010 by Jacksonville and has spent the past six seasons with Pittsburgh. He has 25 sacks (with 70 QB hits), 416 tackles and 4 forced fumbles (with 113 starts) in 191 career games (both with Jacksonville from 2010-16 and Pittsburgh from 2017-22).
Last season, the Lions made the switch from nose tackle to 3-tech DE, and Alualu underwent a significant change for his new position and increased agility, losing 13% of body fat and gaining a considerable amount of muscle during the off-season, according to SI.com.
The loss of McNeill comes at a crucial time for the Lions, who are just three games away from securing a playoff berth and are on pace to win a divisional title for the first time in nearly 40 years.
“Alim has been a force to be reckoned with this season,” Detroit Free Press columnist David Birkett wrote. “He got game balls from Dan Campbell in victories over Tampa Bay, Green Bay and Las Vegas.”
Despite having one of the best seasons of his career, McNeill said he believes there is room for improvement. “I don’t think I’ve done enough yet, if we’re talking about me personally,” he said. “I always put my best foot forward and do my best on the field, but I don’t think you can ask me to say I played well. I’m always going to say I didn’t play my best.”
He added that he had been thinking too much about “what if they did this, what if they do that, what if they don’t do what they’re supposed to do, stuff like that.” McNeill said he had become more comfortable on the field and had learned to focus on what was expected of him in his new role as a defensive end.
