Hutchinson (leg) told reporters Thursday that he's fully cleared to return, Eric Woodyard of ESPN.com reports.

EDGE Analysis

Hutchinson was the frontrunner for Defensive Player of the Year before sustaining a season-ending leg injury in the Lions' Week 6 win over the Cowboys in 2024. However, he now appears to be completely past the issue. Over the Michigan product's first three years in the NFL, he appeared in 39 regular-season games and recorded 132 total tackles, including 28.5 sacks, 10 passes defended, with four interceptions, and four forced fumbles. Now back to full health, Hutchinson is expected to continue wreaking havoc on opposing quarterbacks in 2025.

Lions defensive line coach Kacy Rodgers said Thursday that Hutchinson (leg) has looked "really good" at voluntary offseason workouts, Dave Birkett of the Detroit Free Press reports.

EDGE Analysis

Hutchinson suffered a fractured tibia and fibula roughly seven months ago, and he was initially provided a four- to six-month recovery timetable. The star pass rusher's rehab appears to have been on the quicker side, given that Detroit had expressed optimism about him returning down the stretch last season, had the team advanced all the way to the Super Bowl. Hutchinson has already resumed running at full speed and participating in individual drills, and while Rodgers noted that his workload will continue to be managed into training camp, he remains on track for Week 1. The Lions picked up Hutchinson's fifth-year option late April.

The Lions picked up Hutchinson's (lower leg) fifth-year option Friday, Field Yates of ESPN reports.

EDGE Analysis

Hutchinson is now under contract through 2026 and has a projected salary of $19.78 million in the fifth and final year of his rookie deal. The 2022 first-round pick continues to rehab and recover from a fractured tibia and fibula in his left leg that he suffered in Week 6 against the Cowboys, and he's expected to participate in OTAs and be fully healthy by the start of training camp in July.

Hutchinson (lower leg) posted a video of himself sprinting at the Lions' training facility on his personal Instagram account Monday, Jared Ramsey of the Detroit Free Press reports.

EDGE Analysis

Hutchinson had reportedly been aiming to return in time for the Super Bowl early February, had Detroit advanced to that point in the playoffs, so it's no surprise to see him now share encouraging recovery progress. The star defensive end tallied 7.5 sacks across just five regular-season appearances in 2024, before fracturing the tibia and fibula in his left leg and being placed on IR. All indications are that Hutchinson remains fully on track for the start of the Lions' offseason program, as reported by Dave Birkett of the Detroit Free Press during Super Bowl week.

Hutchinson finished the 2024 regular season with 19 total tackles (12 solo), including 7.5 sacks, while also adding a forced fumble over five games.

EDGE Analysis

Hutchinson got off to a red-hot start in 2024, recording at least 1.0 sacks in four of Detroit's first five games, including a Week 2 performance against the Buccaneers in which he compiled 4.5 sacks. The defensive end suffered a season-ending broken left tibia and fibula in Week 6 against the Cowboys, cutting short what figured to be a rather special season. The 24-year-old will continue to focus on his recovery process and he'll enter the 2025 offseason on the final year of his rookie contract.

Hutchinson (tibia/fibula) said Tuesday in an appearance on "The Squeeze" podcast that he's continuing to eye a return to the field in the Super Bowl, should the Lions advance that far in the postseason. "I'm at that mark and I'm on track for my goal of returning for the Super Bowl," Hutchinson said. "I keep telling all the boys when I see them in the facility, I'm like, 'You guys just got to get there and I promise you I'm going to be back.'"

EDGE Analysis

Before fracturing his tibia and fibula in a Week 6 win at Dallas and undergoing surgery Oct. 13, Hutchinson looked like the frontrunner for the NFL Defensive Player of the Year Award through the Lions' first five games of the season, as he recorded 7.5 sacks and a forced fumble during that stretch. The Lions have since suffered more personnel losses on defense that have tested the team's depth, but if Detroit is able to persevere and build further on last season's NFC Championship Game appearance, the team could get some major reinforcement in the Super Bowl in Hutchinson. The star defensive end has seemingly navigated his rehab program from surgery without any setbacks thus far, but he'll still likely need to get back on the practice field by mid-to-late January to have a chance at contributing in the Super Bowl, if the Lions are able to advance that far without him.

The Lions are holding out hope that Hutchinson (tibia/fibula) could return for the NFC Championship Game, Jay Glazer reported on Fox NFL Sunday.

EDGE Analysis

Hutchinson is doing underwater running and walking without a cane, both of which are ahead of schedule. Originally the "optimistic timeline" was getting Hutchinson for the Super Bowl, so this is progress at least.

Hutchinson (leg, IR) may have a realistic chance to return for a potential Super Bowl appearance if the Lions are able to advance that far, Adam Schefter of ESPN reports.

EDGE Analysis

Hutchinson suffered a broken left tibia and fibula in Detroit's Week 6 dismantling of the Cowboys in Dallas and underwent immediate surgery last Sunday night. Hutchinson was given a recovery timeline of four-to-six months, and the Super Bowl is set for Feb. 9, which would be less than four full months post-injury. Returning in time for a potential Super Bowl would be optimistic, but crazier things have happened, and Hutchinson has youth on his side. Hutchinson was placed on injured reserve Tuesday and is fully expected to miss the remainder of the regular season.

The Lions placed Hutchinson (lower leg) on injured reserve Tuesday.

EDGE Analysis

Hutchinson will be out for the rest of the regular season after fracturing his left tibia and fibula during Sunday's game against the Cowboys. Head coach Dan Campbell said Monday that Hutchinson is expected to be out of action for 4-to-6 months following surgery Sunday, meaning that a return during the postseason, however unlikely, is not off the table, per Nolan Bianchi of The Detroit News. The Lions intend to sign Isaiah Thomas off the Bengals' practice squad Tuesday to the active roster, and he will provide depth on the edge behind Josh Paschal and James Houston.

Hutchinson's surgery on a fractured left tibia and fibula went well Sunday, and he's expected to be out 4-to-6 months, coach Dan Campbell said Monday, Nolan Bianchi of The Detroit News reports.

EDGE Analysis

Campbell's update is encouraging, and the head coach intimated that he wouldn't rule Hutchinson out from a return in the playoffs. Hutchinson's still expected to miss the remainder of the regular season, and even a postseason return would have to occur before the optimistic end of his projected absence. Nonetheless, this is positive news given the serious concern over Hutchinson's injury as soon as it occurred.