Aidan Hutchinson’s Leg Injury is Season Ending, Not Career Ending: Analyst Provides Timeline for DE’s Return

The Detroit Lions ran roughshod over the Dallas Cowboys on Sunday. Their offense posted 47 points and 492 yards. On defense, they created five takeaways and limited the Cowboys to 251 yards and just nine points. But their thorough destruction of “America’s Team” came at a massive cost.

Earlier in the third quarter, star defensive end Aidan Hutchinson suffered a devastating injury. Hutchinson, diagnosed with a broken tibia, had an air cast placed on his left leg before being carted off the field. The ailment is so perilous that he is already undergoing surgery.

Many questioned what Hutchinson’s NFL future would be after the severity of his leg issue was determined. Some jumped to the conclusion that he would not play another snap in the league. Thankfully, sports injury analyst Marty Jaramillo is confident Hutchinson will step on the field again. In fact, he believes Hutchinson could play in 2025.

“Season-ending? Yes. But here is the good news: it is not career-ending… he’ll be receiving some hardware in the tibia to stabilize it, including plates and a number of screws… the stabilization hardware will allow the fracture to heal in about five-to-six months. [In] about eight-to-10 months, he’ll be NFL-ready.”

Jaramillo’s timeline would put Hutchinson on pace for a return in July or August, right as training camp and the preseason are getting underway.

Aidan Hutchinson’s loss is a big blow to Detroit’s Super Bowl hopes

Hutchinson was off to an incredible start in 2024. Including Week 6, he had notched a sack in four of the Lions’ five contests. He terrorized the Tampa Bay Buccaneers to the tune of 4.5 sacks in Week 2.

The 2022 No. 2 overall pick has the most sacks (7.5) of anyone in the NFL. He is leading the league in sacks despite Detroit already having its bye week. His production came with no proven edge rusher lining up across the formation from him. In fact, Hutchinson’s 7.5 sacks are the same as the rest of the Lions’ defense combined.

A dominant edge rusher completely changes things for a defense. Offenses have to commit extra resources to them so they won’t single-handedly wreck their game plan. Hutchinson, a third-year pro, doesn’t have the track record of T.J. Watt, but he was functioning as Detroit’s version of him.

It will take a village to replace Hutchinson’s contributions. The Lions will have to get creative with their blitz schemes to apply pressure on opposing quarterbacks, and will likely be in the market for an edge rusher or two as we near the NFL’s trade deadline.