The 2024 season will go down as a big dose of “what might have been” for Detroit Lions defensive end Aidan Hutchinson. Before suffering a broken fibula and tibia in his left leg in the fifth game of the season against the Dallas Cowboys, he had 7.5 sacks.
“On pace” is always dangerous territory, but Hutchinson was on pace to set the NFL single-season record for sacks and if he had gotten that done he’d have been a shoo-in for Defensive Player of the Year.
Back in February, DraftKings Sportsbook had Hutchinson as the early favorite to win Defensive Player of the Year and Comeback Player of the Year in 2025. That award double has never been done, but there’s faith a healthy “Hutch” can get it done.
It’s now close to seven months since Hutchinson suffered his major injury. The updates we’ve seen throughout his process have naturally been positive, without showing the full rehab grind he has spoken about.
Earlier this month, a fresh video was posted showing Hutchinson running at the Lions’ indoor practice facility with little in the way of visible limitation. He might not have quite been going as full-bore as he could have, but being able to smoothly change direction while sprinting was a huge step.