It’s been a little over six-and-a-half months since Detroit Lions star pass-rusher Aidan Hutchinson suffered a season-ending broken fibula and tibia against the Dallas Cowboys back on Oct. 13.
During an appearance at The Masters last month, Hutchinson told reporters that his recovery timeline is on schedule.
“I'm there; I'd say I'm good,” Hutchinson stated. “I've got my last evaluation tests when I get back, I leave today and I go back tomorrow to the rehab. I'm going to finish those evals and once I knock them out of the park, I'll be on my way and done with rehab. It was a long process, I'll tell you that.”
While Hutchinson seems to believe he’s right on track to be ready for the start of the 2025 season, some Lions fans aren’t as convinced after a recent video of Hutchinson working out emerged on social media that seems to show the 24-year-old defensive end struggling a bit with some movement drills.
Detroit Lions defensive end Aidan Hutchinson watches a play from the sidelines at Ford Field in Detroit
Fans on social media pointed out that Hutchinson’s injured leg is noticeably smaller than his other one (which is to be expected), and others noted that he appears to have a hitch in his stride during one of his sprinting drills, which they stated is concerning given Lions head coach Dan Campbell claimed if the team had made it to the Super Bowl on Feb. 9, there was a possibility that Hutchinson could have returned.
“Don’t get me wrong, nothing beats a comeback story. but idk how anyone can expect him to return to form. that leg is never going to be the same,” one fan wrote.
“Looks a lot slower to me. No explosiveness and that is what his game depends on,” another fan added.
“Definitely struggling with injured leg. Take ur [expletive] time and rehab right bro,” a third fan replied.
“This is bad. He has 0 confidence in that leg,” one user noted.
“Yeahhhh he doesn’t move the same 😣,” another user acknowledged.
“No he’s like done done. He may come back but he’s not even half as explosive as before. His career is over,” remarked one fan.
While Hutchinson clearly isn’t back to 100%, there’s still four months until the season begins. Given the brutality of his injury, it wouldn’t be surprising if the Lions are cautious with Hutchinson’s recovery and he misses the first few games of 2025.
