Aidan Hutchinson injury update: Dan Campbell reveals recovery timeline for Lions DE

Detroit Lions head coach Dan Campbell has provided the timeline for Aidan Hutchinson’s return from injury after he suffered a fractured tibia and fibula during this past Sunday’s game against the Dallas Cowboys.

“It’s 4-6 months,” Campbell said, via Colton Pouncey of The Athletic. “I’d never count Hutch out.”

Evidently, Campbell believes Hutchinson can make it back even sooner than his projected timetable, but it’d still be shocking to see him back on the field before the end of the 2024 campaign. Regardless, you never know what the defensive end is capable of.

Moreover, Hutchinson exited a game against the Dallas Cowboys in the third quarter after his leg was rolled up on by another player, and it seemingly buckled under the weight of the impact.

Hutchinson, the Lions’ top defensive player, is in his third season in the NFL. Over his five games this season entering Sunday’s contest, he had totaled 19 tackles, 7.5 sacks and a forced fumble. He leads Detroit in sacks.

He has been a highly productive player since his selection in the 2022 NFL Draft. That’s exactly what Detroit expected when it drafted him with the No. 2 overall pick.

From the beginning, 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.

On3’s Nick Kosko contributed to this article.