The Detroit Lions started their 21-day injury evaluation clock on star defensive tackle Alim McNeill on Wednesday, as the team gauges his health and attempts to determine when he could return. While it would be a bit unusual to see a player returning from a long-term injury work through the acclimation process quickly, Lions coaches have raved about where he’s at physically, and on Friday, coach Dan Campbell said the chances of him playing against the Cincinnati Bengals this Sunday were 50/50.

“We’ve talked about it. I don’t know. I don’t know. I don’t know, man,” Campbell said on Friday. “I think right now, it’s probably 50/50. I know he wants to play, but we want to be smart, too. So this’ll be one of those decisions we’ll probably make after practice.”

McNeill has been limited in both

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