Two players on the Detroit Lions’ defensive line who are expected to miss regular season time both gave optimistic updates to local reporters on Thursday.
I caught up with him briefly, walking off the field, and he confirmed his MRI results were good and he’ll avoid surgery, but it’s too early to say how long he might be out of action.
Campbell, too, was asked about any update on Hassanein, but the Lions coach said he had no new information to share.
Another good sign for Hassanein is that he has avoided season-ending injured reserve thus far. If the Lions were certain he’d miss the entire 2025 season, they would have likely put him on IR by now. Instead, they could place Hassanein on IR on the cutdown deadline day, which would make him eligible to return after a minimum of four games missed. Still, it’s unclear when—and if—Hassanein will return this season.
Alim McNeill, who suffered an ACL injury in December, has been seen on the sideline for most of training camp, and has recently been seen getting work with trainers, as well. Dave Birkett of the Detroit Free Press briefly caught up with McNeill after Thursday’s joint practice with the Texans, and the defensive tackle had some positive updates.
”At this point, it’s like baking a cake. It’s just putting the finishing touches on it,” McNeill told Birkett.
Per Birkett, McNeill is already working on “cutting, running, and jumping.”
The team has never really provided a firm estimate on when McNeill will return. The closest came during the owners meeting in April when Campbell said they don’t expect him for “the early part of the season.” So when he takes the field still remains a bit of a mystery. At the moment, we’re right around the eight-month mark since his ACL tear and subsequent surgery.