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The Detroit Lions had one of their best seasons in franchise history in 2024. Detroit won 15 games and secured the No. 1 seed in the NFC playoffs, both firsts in franchise history. Unfortunately, the Lions lost in the Divisional Round against the Commanders. One Lions player recently posted an update that should lift fans’ spirits heading into the offseason.
Lions edge rusher Aidan Hutchinson shared a video on Monday of himself sprinting at Detroit’s practice facility.
Hutchinson suffered a fractured tibia and fibula in Week 6 against the Cowboys. The gruesome injury required season-ending surgery. The Lions continued to speculate throughout the 2024 season that Hutchinson could return for the Super Bowl if Detroit made the big game. This video suggests that it was likely a pipedream in the first place.
Regardless, this is great news for Lions fans who are eager to get Hutch back for the 2025 season.
Hutchinson started the 2024 season on a huge hot streak. If he did not get injured, many analysts assume he would have won Defensive Player of the Year.
Hutchinson managed 19 total tackles and seven-and-a-half sacks in only five games. Extrapolating that out to a 17-game sample size, Hutchinson was pacing towards an absurd 25.5 sacks.
There’s no telling if Hutch would have continued his streak of dominance. However, it is undeniable that Hutchinson has continued to improve each year of his NFL career.
Lions fans are hopeful he continues that progress in 2025 despite his serious injury.
The biggest priority of the offseason for the Lions is finding an edge rusher to pair with Aidan Hutchinson.
PFF’s Mason Cameron paired each NFL team with a dream free agent and draft pick in a recent article. He paired Hutchinson up with veteran edge rusher Khalil Mack.
“Mack, who will be 35 years old this season, still has plenty of good snaps in the tank and will command significant attention in free agency, having produced back-to-back seasons of 90.0-plus PFF overall grades,” Cameron wrote.
Mack took a step back in 2024 during his first year under Chargers coach Jim Harbaugh. His sack total went down from 17 in 2023 to just six in 2024. That could reduce Mack’s market value and make him a relatively cheap addition for Detroit.
The Lions also hold the 28th overall pick in the 2025 NFL Draft. Most NFL draft analysts agree that Detroit will use this pick to add another talented edge rusher.
Detroit’s defensive line could look a lot different with the addition of Mack and a rookie alongside Hutchinson.
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