Lions defensive end Aidan Hutchinson is practicing at training camp, nine months after a broken leg ended his 2024 season. Lions head coach Dan Campbell is loving what he's seeing.
"Any time you see one of your guys who, you know what he brings to your team, you know what he brings on the field, the production, the energy, the violence, it does give you a little boost, a little lift," Campbell said.
Campbell already knew that Hutchinson had been medically cleared, but he wanted to see that Hutchinson felt mentally ready to fly around the field. And that's exactly what Campbell saw at the start of camp.
"For me, it's just good to see his confidence back in himself," Campbell said. "That's good to see. You can tell he has a lot of faith in where he's at right now, how it feels, the way he moves, the way he bends, the way he's coming off the edge, and that's after only two days. So it's pretty exciting. It's pretty exciting. Good to have him back."
Hutchinson was the favorite to win the NFL's defensive player of the year award when he was injured last season. Getting him back to that level would be a huge boost to the D in Detroit.
