Alim McNeill looks like himself again: 'I cannot wait to see No. 54'

ALLEN PARK — For the first time under coach Dan Campbell, the Detroit Lions have more than six captains.

And for the first time in his professional career, defensive tackle Alim McNeill is one of them.

The seven-man crew of 2026 captains — McNeill, quarterback Jared Goff , wide receiver Amon-Ra St. Brown , offensive tackle Penei Sewell , defensive end Aidan Hutchinson , linebacker Jack Campbell and punter Jack Fox — was determined through a democratic process, with players submitting their nominees on a piece of paper. Those with the most votes received the honor.

"Yes and no," said McNeill on Tuesday, Sept. 8, asked if he was surprised by the recognition from his teammates. "I feel like I worked and put the work in to be a captain, but I wasn't necessarily looking for it when we did it, and they chose me. I'm thankful, grateful."

Whether McNeill can return to form is one of the most crucial pivot points for the Lions in 2026. He was impactful and ascending when the team awarded him a four-year, $97 million extension in October 2024 , but he tore his ACL two months later, sidelining him for the final stretch of Detroit's 15-2 season.

McNeill returned against the Tampa Bay Buccaneers in Week 7 last season and performed like his usual, disruptive self, recording five pressures on 37 reps against the pass. That success was short lived. McNeill went on to post only 18 pressures over his next nine appearances, and seven of those came in a loss to the Green Bay Packers on Thanksgiving. He finished with one sack.

Now about 21 months removed from the injury, the hope is McNeill can bounce back and look like the version of himself that existed before he got hurt in 2024, when he had 45 pressures and seven tackles for loss for a severely depleted defensive unit. His first test will come against the New Orleans on Sunday, Sept. 13, as the Lions open their season at Ford Field.

"I've got to hold back from talking too much about Alim, we'll see Sept. 13," Lions defensive coordinator Kelvin Sheppard said Thursday, Sept. 10, doing his best to hide his enthusiasm. "I'm so excited for that player. When I say it, it's almost emotional because I know what he wanted to be last year, and he just couldn't. It had nothing to do with, 'Why isn't Mac doing' — no, he just couldn't. A lot of that tape, he couldn't even put his foot in the ground and plant. But he was still out there for his brothers."

McNeill's win rate as a pass rusher in 2025 (10.3%) ranked 38th among 127 qualified interior defenders (minimum 100 snaps), according to Pro Football Focus. He was sixth in 2024 (14.5%) and 29th in 2023 (12.1%).

This offseason, when Campbell compared McNeill's tape from 2025 to his previous work in the NFL, it was clear the defensive tackle was "favoring the leg a little bit, (and) I don't think he even realized it," Campbell said July 31. "I know we're only two days in ... but he does look better," Campbell said in the early days of camp. "He looks like he's back to what he was. He's healthy."

Asked later that week for his thoughts on Campbell's assessment, McNeill agreed, saying, "I was there mentally last year, it (was) just physically, I just wasn't all the way there like I wanted to be. ... You can see it right there, but if you can't get to it, you can't get to it. Now, I've got two legs, and I have no excuse. I feel wonderful out here now. I really feel like I'm back to me."

"I'm just telling you right here," Sheppard said, "September 13th, I cannot wait to see No. 54."

That No. 54 jersey will have a fresh captain's patch embroidered onto it, signaling the belief, admiration and respect members of Detroit's roster have for the player wearing it.

"It means a lot," said McNeill, who added his lone goal this season is to win the Super Bowl. "It means you put in the work, and the guys trust me as one of their leading teammates. I want to take that role on. I feel like I kind of already was in a role like that. But to have the actual patch and everything on the jersey, it's a lot different. It's a huge honor, but it doesn't change anything for me."

▶ Kickoff: 1 p.m. Sunday, Ford Field, Detroit

▶ Records: Season opener for both teams.