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The Detroit Lions' defense was dealt several injuries last season, and one of the most impactful was losing Aidan Hutchinson. The defensive end suffered a fractured tibia and fibula in Week 6, ending his campaign earlier than anticipated.
However, Hutchinson is progressing well in his recovery, and he returned to the practice field this week. Defensive line coach Kacy Rodgers gave a positive update on his star pass-rusher.
Via Detroit News:
“He looks really good,” Rodgers said Thursday.
“I said, ‘Hutch, you know how I know you’re back?’ He said, ‘How?’ I said, ‘Because you’re touching the ground when you run that hoop,’ and that’s like this little thing that he does, like he’s some supernatural cat — which he is,” defensive coordinator Kelvin Sheppard said. “But I’m like, ‘That’s how I know you’re back, big dog.'”
Hutchinson has been a game-changer for the Lions since coming into the NFL, and he was on quite a roll pre-injury last season. The former 2022 second overall pick tallied 7.5 sacks and 45 pressures in just 4.5 games. Despite just how talented Hutchinson is, Sheppard explained how he goes about his business like he's a newbie in the league:
“You would not know he's the caliber player that he is by the way he carries himself,” Sheppard said. “The way he works, his attention to detail in meetings, the way he helps people, the way he wants to be pushed and coached hard. You start to get to a certain level, and people think those guys at the top echelon and tier of the league, they're tapped out [with their potential], it's all over.
Most of the guys that's really special, they never even have that thought in their mind. They want to be coached hard, they want to be pushed. The better the player, the harder you gotta work to push and coach those guys.”
Hutchinson sets the tone for this Lions defense, and having him back in the lineup will be massive for Detroit in their pursuit of a Super Bowl. Despite getting upset by the Washington Commanders in the conference semifinals, Dan Campbell's squad heads into 2025 as one of the title favorites. Hutchinson's brilliance will play a key part in their success.
