Alim McNeill says he’s a go against Minnesota, Lions carve out more roster space

ALLEN PARK — Alim McNeill told MLive he is officially a go for the regular-season finale against Minnesota, and the Detroit Lions are carving out more roster space to make it happen.

Detroit cut tight end Anthony Firkser after practice on Thursday, leaving the roster at 51 players. Defensive tackle Isaiah Buggs was also cut earlier in the week.

Now the Lions have two roster spots available, presumably for the return of McNeill and safety Ceedy Duce.

McNeill was enjoying a career season until suffering a knee injury that landed him on injured reserve the last four weeks. His five sacks still rank second on the team, and his return should provide of jolt of electricity to Detroit’s interior rush.

Duce is expected to return to a three-man rotation with Ifeatu Melifonwu and Kerby Joseph at safety.

“Listen, all three of those guys are going to play, because they’re all good players,” defensive coordinator Aaron Glenn said. “One thing we try to do as a defense is make sure we have our best players out on the field. Will all three of them be on the field at the same time? Possibly. Will someone be down? Possibly. But they’re all going to play, and you’ll see that.”

The Lions are getting increasingly healthy heading into the final week of the season, with fullback Jason Cabinda also expected to return this week, while edge rusher James Houston could return for the wild-card round of the playoffs.

Receiver Jameson Williams is trending the other way, now developing an illness in addition to the ankle injury. He’s unlikely to play again until the postseason.

Defensive tackle Benito Jones is also sick, while tight end Sam LaPorta has been limited by an ankle injury. LaPorta is expected to play against Minnesota, along with guard Graham Glasgow and center Frank Ragnow, both of whom got a day of rest on Thursday.