Detroit Lions place Hutchinson on Injured Reserve
The Detroit Lions have placed defensive end Aidan Hutchinson on injured reserve, they announced. He suffered a serious leg injury in Sunday’s blowout victory over the Dallas Cowboys.
Hutchinson hit the turf at AT&T Stadium in the third quarter on Sunday when going to sack Dak Prescott. He suffered a broken tibia on the play, and underwent immediate surgery at a Dallas area hospital before undergoing further evaluation.
Hutchinson was in the midst of another impressive season as the anchor of the Lions’ defense. The former No. 2 overall pick out of Michigan had 19 tackles, 7.5 sacks and a forced fumble through five games this season before the gruesome injury against Dallas. Dan Campbell set a timeline for his return at four to six months, though, which could line up with the Super Bowl on the early end.
“It’s 4-6 months,” Campbell said this week, via Colton Pouncy of The Athletic. “I’d never count Hutch out.”
Hutchinson wasted little time introducing himself to the NFL, having a monster rookie campaign that earned him PFWA All-Rookie honors. He logged 52 tackles, 9.5 sacks, a pair of fumble recoveries, three interceptions and three passes defended in 2022.
He followed that up with an even more productive sophomore season, tallying 51 tackles, 11.5 sacks, three forced fumbles, two fumble recoveries, an interception and seven passes defended.
Of course, his journey started in Ann Arbor at Michigan, where he was a Heisman Trophy finalist in 2021. While Sherrone Moore wasn’t the head coach at the time – he was the co-offensive coordinator and offensive line coach – he still reached out to Aidan Hutchinson after his injury to express his support and well wishes.
“I texted him,” Moore said Monday. “Also just want to say a prayer to him and his family. Horrific injury. I mean, what a great human being — obviously an outstanding player but a great human being. He left the legacy here, and I know he’s the heartbeat of that team.
“So, really, just want to say a prayer to him and his family, tell him that they’re in our thoughts.”
On3’s Nick Schultz also contributed to this article.