After suffering a broken leg that cut his 2024 season short after just six games, Aidan Hutchinson had to answer questions this time last year about what his return from a major injury and extended time away from the field might look like.
Hutchinson was pretty sure at the time he'd be an even better player, joking the rod placed in his leg made it 'bionic.'
He posted career bests of 14.5 sacks, 54 tackles, 14 tackles for loss, 35 quarterback hits and earned his second career Pro Bowl selection. He led the NFL in total pressures (100), was third in quarterback hits (35), second in forced fumbles (4) and fourth in sacks (14.5).
Hutchinson also earned his first All-Pro nod (second team) and is one of only eight defensive linemen in NFL history with at least 40.5 sacks, eight forced fumbles and five interceptions. He's reached those totals in less than three and a half seasons.
Talking to the media after this year's first OTA practice, there are no question marks surrounding Hutchinson heading into the 2026 season. No worries about the leg and no contract questions after he signed a four-year extension last October. It's been all about ball for one of the best young defensive players in the league.
Hutchinson is brimming with confidence for what 2026 might bring for him and the Lions.
"I feel like heading into Year 5, I do feel complete, in a sense of pass rush," he said. "Your pass rush kind of evolves and it grows throughout the years. There are wrinkles that you put in, but I feel like I have an answer for everything now.
"I feel like I have the answers and the knowledge to figure it out. I feel like the knowledge of the game, knowledge of pass rush, my own development, it's at a point where I feel really, really confident."
Hutchinson likes the additions to the room of DJ Wonnum in free agency and Derrick Moore in the second round of this year's NFL Draft. He said they've started gelling pretty early.
"We've been trying to build a connection," he said. "As pass rushers, you have to feel each other out a little bit and see what the vibe is and it's been great."
Detroit is hoping the additions of Wonnum, Moore, Payton Turner and the return of others like Levi Onwuzurike, who can play inside and the big end, gives the pass rush more depth and consistent production. Detroit tied for fourth in the NFL with 49 sacks last season but were 26th in pass rush win rate (32 percent).
Hutchinson played a career-high 1,005 snaps last season, which amounted to 91 percent of all Detroit's defensive plays.
"Yeah, it's a fine line," Hutchinson said of his heavy workload last season. "Sometimes, it's like overtime, I'm not coming out. If it's the fourth quarter, I'm not really coming out. I think towards the end of the season last year, we started being a little bit more deliberate about, 'Hey, I'm going to take these first two plays off this drive. Just (doing) that.' I did feel it in the fourth quarter. It really helps, just taking a couple off here and there, it helps the conditioning for sure."
That's where the additions of Wonnum and Moore can be big for this defense not just from a depth and production standpoint but also being able to take some of the pressure off Hutchinson and even spell him from time to time.
"I think they are good complements because they're both physical players," Holmes said of adding Wonnum and Moore to the edge room. "They're a little bit different, a little bit different body types. But again, that's why they're here. They fit the requirements of what we look for at that position. They both set good edges, they both can rush outside, they both can rush inside, and they're also both good teammates, too."
