The Detroit Lions will lean on Aidan Hutchinson to be a prominent piece of their defense in 2025.
Hutchinson was playing at an elite level in 2024 prior to a season-ending injury suffered in Week 6. He appears to be progressing well in his recovery, and is expected to be ready to go for the start of the season.
While there is cause for concern about whether he can get back to that elite level of production right away due to the significance of the injury, he's had to recover from setbacks in the past, and his relentless work ethic suggests that he will be able to get back to form.
On NFL Network's Good Morning Football Thursday, a fellow Michigan alum spoke highly of Hutchinson. During a segment debating whether Hutchinson or Las Vegas Raiders edge rusher Maxx Crosby will have the bigger breakout season, recently retired Philadelphia Eagle and former Wolverine Brandon Graham chose Hutchinson.
“I worked out with Aidan. I really did see how Aidan worked. I didn’t realize how big he was until I saw him during Covid," Graham said. "It was during covid, you know how it is. A true Michigan guy, he was working out at the same gym I was at and I’ve seen him work every day. I think if there’s anybody that can come back from this injury, it’s Aidan.”
Graham announced his retirement this offseason after 15 NFL seasons, all of which he spent with the Eagles.
Here are a collection of Detroit Lions headlines on May 8.
1.) The Detroit Free Press profiled the relationship between new Lions running backs coach Tashard Choice and third-year running back Jahmyr Gibbs, which dates back to their days together at Georgia Tech.
2.) Detroit's roster was ranked first in the NFC North by Sports Illustrated.
3.) The Lions' team website showcased five things to watch for when rookie minicamp begins Friday.
4.) The Athletic's Rustin Dodd shared his experiences after drinking coffee like Lions coach Dan Campbell, doing so as part of a study on caffeine and its impact on performance.
5.) The NFL will announce multiple games on the 2025 schedule early as part of next week's schedule release. Games will be announced on NBC, FOX and Prime Video May 12, on ESPN and NFL Network on May 13 and CBS and Netflix May 14. The entire NFL schedule will be revealed at 8 p.m. on May 14.
