Aidan Hutchinson's dominance at Lions training camp forces Detroit to implement 'Hutch Rule' in practice
Hutchinson was one of the best players in the NFL before his season-ending injury in 2024
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Detroit Lions defensive end Aidan Hutchinson is back on the practice field after breaking his tibia and fibula in Week 6 last season, but it sounds like he's back to 100%. In fact, Hutchinson sounds like he's dominating.
According to the Lions' official website, Hutchinson has been so good in practice that coach Dan Campbell has implemented the "Hutch rule." The "Hutch rule" is when Hutchinson beats his lineman and registers a hypothetical sack on the play, the coaches ignore it and let the play continue so the offense can get work in.
If they blew plays dead because Hutchinson got in the backfield, the Lions wouldn't get much accomplished. For example, during a situational drill this week that called for the Lions offense to score quickly, everyone ignored a third-down sack that Hutchinson had.
"If you can't block Hutch and he's going to blow every practice up, then that's not good either," Campbell said.
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Hutchinson's dominance in training camp is a great sign that he will return to field the way he left it last year, as one of the best players in the entire league.
Entering that Week 6 matchup in which he was injured, Hutchinson led the NFL in sacks (6.5), QB hits (14) and pressures (40) despite the Lions having an early bye in Week 5. His 40 pressures over five games were 11 more than the next-leading player at the time.
Hutchinson actually broke his leg while making a sack, and his 7.5 QB takedowns led the Lions last season despite him missing a whopping 12 games. Hutchinson's five games played were the fewest games played by a team sack leader in NFL history (excluding strike years) and his 25% pressure rate ranked No. 1 among all pass rushers with 100+ pass rushes. He was the best defensive player in football at the time of his injury, and a key to Detroit retaining its status as Super Bowl contender.
