It's been 290 days since Detroit Lions defensive lineman Alim McNeill joined his teammates on the field to take part in football activities.

McNeill tore his ACL Dec. 15 last year in a loss to Buffalo and has been working hard to get back ever since. That time finally came Wednesday as the Lions opened the practice window for McNeill's return from the Physically Unable to Perform list and McNeill was back practicing with his teammates.

When the media came out for the open portion of practice Wednesday, the Lions were blasting 'Return of the Mack' by Mark Morrison on the speakers.

"That was good," McNeill said of the song choice to begin practice. "I didn't expect that to happen but that was good. It got me going. It felt great out there. I've been waiting for (this) day for a little bit. It felt good to be back out there."

McNeill was the 10th highest graded interior defensive lineman by Pro Football Focus last year before the injury. He's a versatile player inside who can stop the run and generate pressure from the interior. He had 3.5 sacks, seven tackles for loss and 45 total quarterback pressures in 14 games in 2024.

"I think he's a little nervous," Lions head coach Dan Campbell said with a smirk Wednesday about McNeill coming back to practice. "He's ready to go, like I said. I'm sorry for some of those guys who are going to have to line up across from him."

McNeill still has to ramp up football activity and the Lions have three weeks to get him game ready, but McNeill said Wednesday he feels good and doesn't think it will take long to get into game shape.

"Mentally, I feel like I've been ready for a bit," McNeill said. "I've just been itching to get out there. Now that the moment is here, it's time to capitalize on it."

When he returns it will be a huge boost to a Lions defensive front that currently ranks second in the NFL in sacks with 14.0 behind only Denver (15.0). Detroit also has the league's No. 7-ranked run defense that is holding opponents to 94.0 yards per game on the ground on average.

McNeill will slot right in with veterans DJ Reader and Roy Lopez and rookie Tyleik Williams to form a nice mix of versatile talent along the interior of Detroit's defensive front.

CB DEPTH

The Lions won't have starting outside cornerback D.J. Reed available Sunday after he injured his hamstring in last week's win over Cleveland and was placed on Reserve/Injured Wednesday. The good news to start the week is No. 2 outside cornerback Terrion Arnold was back at practice after he left the Browns game with a shoulder injury.

The Lions are likely to move Amik Robertson outside to fill in for Reed with Avonte Maddox sliding into the nickel role against a Cincinnati offense Sunday that comes in ranking 32nd in total offense (205.3), 30th in passing (155.3) and 29th in giveaways (8).

"From the beginning, even when we were at (training) camp, we always talked about, 'It's going to take all of us.' Just the mindset of us being pros. 'When it's your opportunity make the most of it,'" Lions pass game coordinator and defensive backs coach Deshea Townsend said Wednesday.

"We take every rep personal if you're in there or not. You have to receive it like it's yours and now those guys are getting some opportunities to go play on Sunday."

DECKER'S PLAY

The performance veteran left tackle Taylor Decker had last week holding All-Pro Browns edge rusher Myles Garrett to just two quarterback hits and no sacks was terrific.

It's even more impressive given he didn't practice the week leading into the game due to a shoulder injury.

Decker has sat out most of Detroit's practices the first month of the season as the team tries to manage his rest and recovery. He's allowed just one sack and has one penalty in four games.

"I'm always impressed. Decker's been laying it on the line for us, and we know he's not 100 percent, and so it's taken everything to get him back to those games ready to compete," Campbell said. "And that's been big. And so, what he's been able to do over the four weeks, it's been impressive. And we're fortunate that he was there for us to help us out. So, I think he's been playing good football and it's just about getting him back, trying to get his body back."

Decker has another tough test this week with Cincinnati edge rusher Trey Hendrickson, who led the NFL with 17.5 sacks last year and has 2.0 so far this season. Hendrickson plays the majority of his reps across the left tackle.

"I do think I'm playing well," Decker said Wednesday. "But the frustrating thing for me is I think I could play better if I felt better. Yeah, I think the performances have been pretty good. But for me the frustrating thing is I have my own personal standards and when you're not 100 percent, it's hard to meet those and that's just frustrating."

EXTRA POINT

The Lions signed S Loren Strickland and LB Ty Summers to the active roster from the practice squad and signed CB Tre Flowers and CB Nick Whiteside to the practice squad.