One of the most heartbreaking moments from the 2024 Lions season happened in Week 6 on October 13, when defensive end Aidan Hutchinson suffered broken fibula and tibia bones in his left leg during the team’s game against the Dallas Cowboys. At the time, Hutchinson was leading the NFL with 7.5 sacks, but the injury ended his season.
Hutchinson is not one to give up easily, and he spent much of the rest of the 2024 season rehabbing and gearing up for what he was hoping would be a Super Bowl run for the team. The latter didn’t happen, but Hutchinson has continued to train and improve as the 2025 season inches closer.
Aidan Hutchinson Makes It Clear Where He Stands
So, how far along is Hutchinson in his rehabbing? He’s doing extremely well, judging by a new video. On Thursday, May 1, Jim Kielbaso of Impact Sports Performance shared a clip of Hutchinson training at a practice facility, and he appears very healthy and quite intimidating. Honestly, any NFL player watching this video who has a game against the Lions this upcoming season should be pretty worried after seeing this video, because Hutchinson looks ready to rock.
In the clip, Hutchinson can be seen sprinting at full velocity, even on an inclined treadmill. He almost looks like he’s in even better shape than before the injury. Don’t mess with this guy, OK?
NFL analyst and expert Brad Berreman of SideLion Report noted the power of Hutchinson in the clip, stating in a May 2 feature that “a healthy Hutchinson is a looming nightmare for the offensive tackles he’s going to face in 2025. He has sent a firm message he will be ready to pick up right where he left off before his injury last season.”
Finding a Partner for Aidan Hutchinson
Heading into the 2025 draft, many pundits and experts thought the Lions should, and would, snag a top edge rusher to help Hutchinson. After all, Hutchinson and much of the defensive line was out last season, and that left the team in a situation where they had to scramble to get players to fill glaring gaps.
But, Lions general manager Brad Holmes did not draft an edge rusher until later in the draft. In the past, he’s touched on how difficult it is to find the right fit for the position and emphasized that there are only a few pristine edge rushers available. But, in a radio appearance, Holmes said that he thinks the Detroit Lions fan base is upset that the team doesn’t have a second star edge rusher to pair with Hutch. He’s not wrong, either.
‘They’re hard to find, they’re hard to get, they’re hard to acquire,” Holmes said during an appearance on 97.1 The Ticket, per Sports Illustrated. “But I have felt like, ever since we have acquired Aidan Hutchinson, as great of a player he is, I have always felt like the fan base is almost mad. Like, they’re mad because we have Aidan Hutchinson. Because, now, he’s so good, well why don’t you have two of them.”
