The Detroit Lions have lost star edge rusher Aidan Hutchinson for the season due to a fractured leg, but NFL insider reports indicate that this injury is unlikely to have long-term implications for his career.
Hutchinson suffered a severe injury during Sunday’s 47-9 victory over the Dallas Cowboys, colliding with teammate Alim McNeill while sacking quarterback Dak Prescott. He went down and required a cart to leave the field, followed by immediate surgery after being transported to the hospital.
Initially, there were concerns that the injury could jeopardize Hutchinson’s career; however, NFL Network insider Ian Rapoport provided a more optimistic update.
“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 noted in a post on X. “All things considered, that’s good news.”
After the game, Campbell addressed Hutchinson’s injury, emphasizing the impact it would have on the team.
“It’s tough. He’s in good hands right now,” Campbell stated, 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.”
Following the game, Lions head coach Dan Campbell confirmed that Hutchinson remained in Dallas to undergo surgery for a broken tibia while the rest of the team returned to Detroit.
Since being selected as the No. 2 overall pick in 2022, Hutchinson has been Detroit’s leading edge rusher, recording 7.5 sacks this season before his injury.
Linebacker and defensive captain Alex Anzalone expressed the challenges posed by Hutchinson’s absence both on and off the field.
“It’s obvious how good he is and what a great player he is on the field, and what he brings to our team schematically and the type of season he was having,” Anzalone remarked, via the team’s official website. “Just to see him in that situation brings you back down to earth. We’re playing a violent and dangerous sport, and to see him go out like that is tough from a human aspect.”
Lions Face Tall Task in Replacing Aidan Hutchinson
The Lions had already faced challenges regarding pass rush depth prior to Hutchinson’s injury. McNeill was second on the team with 2.5 sacks, and no other player had more than 1.5.
NFL Network’s Grant Gordon noted that the Lions’ depth players will need to step up to compensate for the loss of production.
“It’s never easy to fill the void left by the loss of a star player, but Hutchinson’s absence could highlight Detroit’s lack of depth in pass rushing,” Gordon explained. “On the inside, Alim McNeill has been excellent and recorded two sacks against the Cowboys, but nobody else on the team has more than 1.5 sacks this season.
While there’s no replacing Hutchinson, players like Levi Onwuzurike, Josh Pascal, and rookie Isaac Ukwu will have to take on larger roles and rise to the occasion for Detroit.”
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