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

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. "

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