Lions’ Aidan Hutchinson shrugs off injury with encouraging offseason update

Aidan Hutchinson is on track to become a starter in Week 1 as he returns from brutal injury that weakened the Lions' defense.

The Detroit Lions ended the 2024 season with unfinished business. They dominated their NFC competition during the regular season as they won the NFC North and captured the top seed in the playoffs as a result of their 15-2 record. However, their dream season ended in nightmarish fashion as they were bounced out of the divisional playoffs by the Washington Commanders. The Lions suffered a 45-31 defeat as their injury-plagued defense could not overcome the loss of dominating pass rusher Aidan Hutchinson.

The former Michigan Wolverine is one of the most devastating pass rushers in the league, but his season came to an  end in October when he fractured his tibia and fibula. Hutchinson appears to have made a full recovery and should be able to participate in training camp and he plans to be in the lineup when the Lions open the season in Week 1 in a road game against the Green Bay Packers.

“I'm exactly where I need to be,” Hutchinson said, per CBS Sports' Ryan Wilson this week. “Every year I've been able to improve on my own physical attributes along with the mental ones, so I feel like every year I take a step. Despite having that rehab this offseason, I feel like I'm in the perfect spot and exactly where I need to be going into Year 4.”

Hutchinson was on his way to dominant season for Lions

The brutal injury suffered by Hutchinson kept the former No. 2 overall pick from putting together one of the best seasons of any of the league's top pass rushers.

Hutchinson was injured in the Week 5 game against the Dallas Cowboys, a 47-9 blowout victory. At the time of the injury, Hutchinson had 7.5 sacks, 19 tackles, 17 quarterback hits and 1 forced fumble.

The 6-7, 268-pound defensive end has 28.5 career sacks, 122 tackles, 10 passes batted down, 4 interceptions, 4 forced fumbles and 4 fumble recoveries.

Hutchinson combines explosive strength with extreme quickness and a devastating first step. If Hutchinson can stay healthy during the 2025 season and the Lions can avoid other key defensive injuries, the team would appear to have an excellent chance of repeating their 2024 regular-season success.

However, Dan Campbell has much bigger goals besides winning the highly competitive NFC North once again. The Lions have never been to the Super Bowl, and the head coach knows his team has the talent to gain one of the top seeds in the conference and put together a successful run in the postseason.

Campbell has seen his coaching staff undergo a major change, as offensive coordinator Ben Johnson and defensive coordinator Aaron Glenn have taken head coaching positions with the Chicago Bears and New York Jets, respectively. While there could be an adjustment without those two coaches, the Lions have the talent to overcome those departures.

John Morton takes over as offensive coordinator while Kelvin Sheppard is the new defensive coordinator.