The Detroit Lions have every reason to be hyped about getting Aidan Hutchinson back. Even in his absence, the Lions defense stayed sharp during their run to the No. 1 seed in the NFC a season ago. But with the excitement of Hutchinson’s return comes the acknowledgement that this will be a very different Lions team in 2025.
Not only did the Lions lose defensive coordinator Aaron Glenn, they also lost their offensive savant, Ben Johnson. Dan Campbell already sees the difference without Johnson in the locker room. He acknowledged that the offense is a bit behind the defense so far in training camp. That shouldn’t be a shock, not just because of losing Johnson, but because the Lions defense played at a solid level while being injured most of the season.
With Hutchinson back in the mix now, there’s no reason this defense isn’t ahead of the offense. That said, it doesn’t mean the offense is playing bad right now. It just means the defense is showing just how elite it can be in 2025.
Aidan Hutchinson’s return highlights an uncertain, new era of Detroit Lions football
The “Hutch Rule” is a new rule the Lions have adopted this season amid Hutchinson’s destructive return to practice. The rule is the offense will continue the rep, even though Hutchinson beat his man and would have recorded the sack. Campbell said it’s a way for the offense to get more reps.
This may not seem like much in training camp as a lot of the backups are getting most of the reps. But if this rule carries into the regular season, it will be key in making sure the offense stays sharp. Last year, the Lions were the flashy offense that installed trick plays during blowout wins.
They probably won’t have as much flash as they did a year ago and with a new identity, they have to find a way to not only get the offense reps, but get them extra work as things will look drastically different.
I guess it’s good in a sense, then, to have an elite pass rusher that can blow up the offensive line and still force the offense to work through the rep. It’s not an uncommon thing, but it’s proof that Hutchinson just might be back to his old self. And if he is, maybe the offense can look a little different because the defense can carry the load.