Lions DE Aidan Hutchinson recovering from leg surgery

Detroit Lions defensive end Aidan Hutchinson underwent successful surgery to repair a fractured tibia and fibula, the team announced Monday. The NFL sacks leader sustained the injury to his left leg in the third quarter of Sunday's 47-9 victory against the host Dallas Cowboys. Hutchinson, 24, had surgery Sunday night at the Baylor White Medical Center in Irving, Texas. He will return to Detroit this week and is expected to make a full recovery, the team said. "There is no timeline for his return to play at this time," concluded the Lions' statement. "I would never count Hutch out. Ever," head coach Dan Campbell said on Monday. "So, probably a long road, but I would never count him out and I would say if anybody can make it back, it'd be him." Campbell isn't resigned to calling it a season-ending injury though he acknowledged it could take four to six months to recover after the surgery. "Just knowing Hutch -- he's got one of those rare ... once he believes in it, he can will himself to find a way to get back," Campbell said. "He's one of those guys -- the mind can heal the body, and he'll find the next-best thing and do whatever it takes to get back. "So, who knows? But yeah, I think it's huge," he continued. "You know it's just sitting right out there, ‘I can do this, I can get back. We'll be in a position to where I'll be able to come back and help.' And I do, I think it's huge." Hutchinson, one of the league's premier defensive players, was injured while sacking Cowboys quarterback Dak Prescott early in the second half. Players from both teams huddled around Hutchinson as medical personnel tended to him and placed him on the cart. After returning from a series of commercial breaks, the Fox Sports broadcast did not replay the injury. Hutchinson, the second pick of the 2022 draft, leads the NFL with 7.5 sacks through five starts this season. The 2023 Pro Bowl selection has registered 28.5 sacks, 65 quarterback hits, 122 tackles, four forced fumbles, four fumble recoveries and four interceptions in 39 career starts. Detroit will rely more on starting defensive linemen Alim McNeill, DJ Reader and Levi Onwuzurike as well as Josh Paschal and rookie Isaac Ukwu. "My job is to coach what's here and I'm going to coach the hell out of them and we are as a staff and so yeah, I do," Campbell said of having confidence in the defensive line. "And if we get somebody (added to the roster), great, and if we don't, these are our guys, and the coaches know that. This is what we came into camp with, this is why we develop talent and it's next man up. They've got to be ready to go." --Field Level Media