In Week 6 of the 2024 season, Detroit Lions edge rusher Aidan Hutchinson had played in five games (the Lions had a Week 5 bye) and was leading the league with his eye-popping mark of 7.5 sacks. Then his season abruptly ended.
In the Week 6 game against the Dallas Cowboys, the Pro Bowl defensive end fractured both his tibia and fibula. The injury required immediate surgery and knocked Hutchinson out for the remainder of the Lions’ special 2024 regular season.
Hutchinson was one of a deluge of injuries the Lions had to deal with last year, but he’s back – fully healthy and participating in training camp practices ahead of preseason games.
When the Lions take on the Los Angeles Chargers in the Hall of Fame Game to kick off the preseason, Hutchinson will be ready to go, regardless of whether Detroit chooses to play their starters.
Aidan Hutchinson injury update
Hutchinson fractured both bones in his lower leg – his tibia and fibula – during a Week 6 game against the Dallas Cowboys last season. He underwent surgery soon after.
The defensive end has since made a full recovery from his leg injury. He told reporters in May that he had been fully cleared to participate in football activities by the time OTAs began. Since then, he’s been a full participant in practice.
“Football has been feeling normal for a long time now,” Hutchinson said Friday. “I would say first day of OTAs, I got kicked, stepped on, everything under the sun on this leg, and after practice I got up and I was like, ‘All right, we’re good.'”
Lions quarterback Jared Goff has also said Hutchinson looks like a “monster” back out on the field at training camp.
When will Aidan Hutchinson return?
Hutchinson is already a full participant in practices during Lions training camp.
It remains to be seen how often fans will get to see him play in preseason action, but the star edge rusher will be back in action for Week 1. He’ll be looking to follow up on a promising start to last season, when he led the league through six weeks with his 7.5 sacks.
Aidan Hutchinson contract
- Length: Four years (plus exercised fifth-year option)
- Value: $35.7 million (plus $19.8 million exercised fifth-year option) ($8.93 million AAV)
As a first-round pick in the 2022 NFL Draft, Hutchinson is still playing on his rookie contract.
Earlier this offseason, the Lions announced they were (unsurprisingly) exercising the star defensive end’s fifth-year option. Hutchinson will remain on his rookie deal through the end of the 2026 season before he hits free agency, though a long-term extension is a more likely outcome before then.
Lions EDGE depth chart
The Lions dealt with a brutal number of injuries to their defense last year, with Hutchinson being just one of more than a dozen players on injured reserve by late in the season. Detroit’s depth is already getting tested early with the season-ending ACL surgery that defensive tackle Levi Onwuzurike underwent in the offseason
Here’s how the Lions’ depth looks at the corners of their defensive line:
- Aidan Hutchinson
- Marcus Davenport
- Josh Paschal
- Al-Quadin Muhammad
- Mitchell Agude
- Ahmed Hassanein
- Nate Lynn
- Isaac Ukwu
The most notable standouts on the list – other than Hutchinson – are Marcus Davenport, whom the Lions signed to a second-straight one-year deal in the offseason, and 2025 sixth-round pick Ahmen Hassanein.
This article originally appeared on USA TODAY: Aidan Hutchinson injury update: Lions DE healthy for 2025