Aidan Hutchinson didn’t ease into OTAs—he stormed into Allen Park like he never left. After a brief injury scare earlier in the offseason, any concerns about his readiness have been officially put to bed. The Lions’ star edge rusher looked every bit as explosive, aggressive, and agile as the player who gave offensive lines nightmares last season.
Despite some early speculation that he might be on a snap count, Hutchinson was full-go in every phase of Detroit’s OTA session: warmups, individual drills, and full-team reps. Whether it was rushing off the edge, dropping into coverage, or testing moves against the likes of Taylor Decker and Penei Sewell, the former No. 2 overall pick showed no signs of rust.
Local reporters were quick to confirm what fans were hoping to hear—Hutch is still Hutch. Jeremy Reisman of Pride of Detroit said he looked “just as explosive as ever.” Ben Raven of MLive echoed that, noting his burst and flexibility were already in midseason form, even without pads.
Head coach Dan Campbell didn’t hold back his praise either. “He’s moving well. You don’t see him favoring anything,” Campbell said. “He’s bending, he’s grabbing the grass, he looks confident.”
That’s music to Lions fans’ ears—and a warning shot to the rest of the league.
With Hutchinson firing on all cylinders, Detroit’s defensive front instantly becomes more dangerous. It opens things up for guys like Marcus Davenport and rookie Ahmed Hassanein, and gives the coaching staff room to experiment with more creative third-down packages. He even took some zone-drop reps, suggesting we might see him used in disguise looks more often this season.
More than anything, Hutchinson’s energy sets the tone. He’s not just the motor of the D-line—he’s a culture-setter. Young guys feed off that intensity, and the whole unit moves faster because of it.
The Lions still have a few more OTA sessions left before minicamp hits in mid-June. But based on what we’ve seen so far, one thing’s clear: Hutchinson is back, and the defense is ready to roll.
Let the chaos begin.
