By Mummy Grace 
Hutchinson was off to a ridiculous start in 2024. In less than six games, he had already racked up 7.5 sacks, 45 pressures, and a 95.0 pass-rush grade, per Pro Football Focus. His pass-rush win rate? A wild 38.3%, tops in the league at the time. There’s no sugarcoating it—when Hutchinson went down, so did Detroit’s pass-rush production.
Now he’s back, and according to PFF’s Dalton Wasserman, his return is the single biggest reason for optimism in Detroit. If he can pick up where he left off, it changes everything for Aaron Glenn’s defense.
The Lions aren’t putting it all on Hutchinson, either. They’ve made some low-risk moves around him—re-signing Marcus Davenport and Al-Quadin Muhammad and adding rookie Ahmed Hassanein in the sixth round. But make no mistake: Hutchinson is the key to unlocking this defense’s full potential.
With Hutchinson healthy, and a bit of help opposite him, Detroit could boast one of the league’s most dangerous pass-rushing duos. That’s a game-changer for a team with Super Bowl hopes.