The Detroit Lions have lost star edge rusher Aidan Hutchinson for the season, but an NFL insider reported that his fractured leg will likely not impact the rest of his career.
Hutchinson suffered a horrific injury in Sunday’s 47-9 win over the Dallas Cowboys, colliding with teammate Alim McNeill while sacking quarterback Dak Prescott and fracturing his leg. Hutchinson went down and had to be carted off the field, then immediately underwent surgery after being taken to the hospital.
Though there was some initial concern that the injury could endanger Hutchinson’s career, NFL Network insider Ian Rapoport had a more positive update on that front.
“While Aidan Hutchinson’s broken tibia is obviously season-ending, the early prognosis is that being ready for 2025 shouldn’t be an issue,” Rapoport shared in a post on X. “All things considered, that’s good news.”
Dan Campbell Speaks Out
Campbell sent a message on Hutchinson after Sunday’s game, saying it would be a big loss for the team.
“It’s tough. He’s in good hands right now,” Campbell said, via the team’s official website. “He’s being taken care of. He’ll stay back here. Obviously, he’s going to be down for a little while. That’s tough. It’s hard to lose someone like him but we’ll know a lot more after this and obviously wish him the best.”
Lions head coach Dan Campbell said after the game that Hutchinson stayed behind in Dallas to undergo surgery for a broken tibia while teammates returned to Detroit.
Hutchinson has been Detroit’s top edge rusher since joining the team as the No. 2 overall pick in 2022, leading the team this season with 7.5 sacks at the time he went down.
#Lions star Aidan Hutchinson, who would have been a top candidate for defensive player of the year, suffered a broken tibia, coach Dan Campbell told reporters.
— Ian Rapoport (@RapSheet) October 14, 2024
He’ll stay in a Dallas area hospital overnight and will be “down for a little while,” per Campbell. pic.twitter.com/SQ42dPZfoJ
After the game, linebacker and defensive captain Alex Anzalone said it would be difficult to lose Hutchinson both on and off the field.
“It’s obvious how good he is and how great of a player he is on the field and what he does for our team schematically and what type of season he was having,” Anzalone said, via the team’s official website.
“Just to see him in that situation it kind of just brings you back down to earth. We’re playing a violent and dangerous sport … to see him go out like that is tough just from a human aspect.”
Lions Face Tall Task in Replacing Aidan Hutchinson
The Lions had already struggled with pass rush depth before Hutchinson’s injury. McNeill ranked second on the team with 2.5 sacks, and no other player had more than 1.5.
The NFL Network’s Grant Gordon suggested that Detroit’s depth players will all need to do their part to make up for the lost production.
“It’s never easy to fill the void left by the loss of a star player, but Hutchinson’s absence could shine a light on Detroit’s lack of depth rushing the passer,” Gordon wrote.
“On the inside, Alim McNeill has been excellent and had two sacks against the Cowboys, but nobody else on the team has more than 1.5 sacks on the season. There will be no replacing Hutchinson, but the likes of Levi Onwuzurike, Josh Pascal and rookie Isaac Ukwu will have larger roles and need to step up for Detroit.”
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