Aidan Hutchinson injury update: Latest news on Lions star's serious leg injury vs. Cowboys

Kyle Irving

Aidan Hutchinson injury update: Latest news on Lions star's serious leg injury vs. Cowboys image

Lions star pass rusher Aidan Hutchinson suffered a serious leg injury in Sunday's game against the Cowboys.

Hutchinson was doing what he does best, putting pressure on the quarterback to take down Dallas' Dak Prescott for a sack in the third quarter.

He stayed on the turf holding his leg as players on both teams took a knee and prayed around the 2022 No. 2 overall pick.

How bad is Hutchinson's injury? The Sporting News has you covered with the latest updates below.

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Aidan Hutchinson injury updates

Hutchinson was carted to the locker room with a leg injury during the third quarter of the Lions' game against the Cowboys on Sunday.

Detroit was routing Dallas by 21 points at the time of the injury and Hutchinson's constant pressure on Prescott was a major reason for that. The star pass rusher got to Prescott for his first sack of the game but got tangled up in a scrum of players.

He immediately held his knee and stayed down on the turf as players from both teams took a knee around him.

FOX declined to show replays of Hutchinson's injury due to its graphic nature. He was quickly ruled out of the contest. 

During head coach Dan Campbell's postgame press conference, he said that Hutchinson has been diagnosed with a broken tibia and that the defensive end would be having immediate surgery. Campbell also added that Hutchinson will be "down for a while," and while the return timetable is unknown, it is likely that the earliest Hutchinson could return may be the playoffs. 

The Lions released an update on Hutchinson's status Monday morning, which said that he underwent successful surgery and is expected to make a full recovery from his fractured tibia and fibula.

As expected, the linebacker was sent to the injured reserve on Tuesday, where he will remain for the rest of the season.

Aidan Hutchinson stats

Hutchinson's stats were updated through Sunday's injury exit.

  • Sacks: 7.5 (leads NFL)
  • Total tackles: 19
  • QB hits: 17
  • Forced fumbles: 1

Hutchinson led the NFL with 6.5 sacks going into the Lions' Week 6 matchup with the Cowboys. He added another sack to his total before leaving the game with an injury.

Hutchinson is one of the best pass rushers in the NFL, also adding 19 total tackles and 17 quarterback hits.

Who is Aidan Hutchinson's backup?

James Houston is listed as Hutchinson's direct backup on the Lions' depth chart.

Detroit selected Houston out of Florida with its sixth-round pick in the 2022 NFL Draft. He tallied 8.0 sacks as a rookie but missed all but two games of the 2023 season with a broken ankle.

Detroit does not designate positions for its defensive linemen — such as DE, EDGE, or DT — so Houston, Mekhi Wingo, Kyle Peko, and John Paschal could all have opportunities to fill in for Hutchinson.

Kyle Irving

Kyle Irving Photo

You read that wrong – not Kyrie Irving. From Boston, graduated from the University of New Hampshire. Sixth season as a content producer for NBA.com's Global editions. Covering the NBA Draft has become his annual "dream come true" moment on the job. Irving has a soft spot for pass-first point guards, with Rajon Rondo and Steve Nash being two of his favorite players of all time.