The Detroit Lions put their best interior defensive lineman, Alim McNeill, on injured reserve with a knee injury and signed cornerback Kindle Vildor off the practice squad.
Detroit also added Tyson Alualu and Matt Farniok to the practice squad and released linebacker Raymond Johnson from it.
The NFC North-leading Lions (9-3) made the moves Tuesday, two days after McNeill was injured in a win at New Orleans. Detroit will play at Chicago (4-8) on Sunday.
McNeill made 31 tackles and six were for losses, including a career-high five sacks. He also a forced fumble and defended a pass. McNeill has started 35 games over three years with the Lions.
Vildor played in two games earlier this season with Tennessee. He started in 22 of 44 games the previous three years in Chicago, with 97 tackles and an interception.
The 36-year-old Alualu played in 17 games, including two starts, last season in Pittsburgh. He has started 113 of 191 games over three seasons with the Steelers and six in Jacksonville, with 416 career tackles and 25 sacks.
The Detroit Lions (9-3) will take on the Chicago Bears (4-8) in Week 14 in their second meeting in four weeks. Both teams are relatively healthy, especially for this late in the season, but the Lions are still dealing with a few impactful injuries.
Losing Alim McNeill to injured reserve is a big blow to the defense as he’s a player the Lions won’t have an easy job replacing.
“Losing Mac for these four weeks is going to be tough,” Campbell said. “He’s been a reliable, steady, productive player for us. He’s really come into his own this year.
He’s just grown every year, but this year, he was big. He was a force for us. Guys got a lot of respect for him, so that hurts. But at the same token, this train moves on.”
The Lions’ plan to replace McNeill is still a bit unclear, but coach Dan Campbell has suggested that the player who will get the primary opportunity will be the one who “prove(s) their worth.”
