The Detroit Lions will be welcoming back a big part of their pass-rush in Aidan Hutchinson for the 2025 season.

Hutchinson was sorely missed after suffering a season-ending leg injury in Week 6 against the Dallas Cowboys. After starting the year on a record pace with 7.5 sacks, he firmly asserted himself among one of the league’s best.

As he’s already been cleared to resume football activities, Hutchinson is anticipated to be at full-strength when the season begins. The Lions are hoping that means a quick return to form.

In a recent piece listing a reason for optimism for each NFL team, Pro Football Focus’ Dalton Wasserman picked Hutchinson’s return as his choice for the Lions.

“Before suffering a season-ending injury in Week 6 last season, Hutchinson was on his way to a historic performance,” Wasserman wrote. “Through not even five full games, he led the NFL with 45 pressures, eight sacks, a 95.0 PFF pass-rush grade and an incredible 38.3% pass-rush win rate. Hutchinson’s injury was the primary reason the Lions saw a large decrease in pass-rush production down the stretch. If he returns to last year’s form, he changes the outlook of the entire defense.”

Detroit made subtle moves to address the position opposite of Hutchinson, re-signing Marcus Davenport and Al-Quadin Muhammad to one-year deals and drafting Ahmed Hassanein in the sixth-round of the NFL draft.

If Hutchinson is able to recapture the magic that he had last season, and all indications are that he’s expected to, finding a reliable option opposite of him could make the Lions’ defense one of the most proficient pass-rush units in the entire league.