Lions DE suffers broken tibia vs. Cowboys

The Detroit Lions put a beatdown on the Dallas Cowboys on Sunday, but they suffered a significant loss on the defensive side of the ball.

Lions star pass rusher Aidan Hutchinson suffered a serious leg injury in the third quarter of Detroit’s Week 6 game. It came on a play during which he sacked Dak Prescott but had his leg bend awkwardly when it hit his teammate Alim McNeill‘s leg.

Hutchinson immediately grabbed at his leg when he went to the ground. He ripped his gloves off and remained down as Detroit’s medical staff tended to him.

Editor’s note: USA TODAY Sports will not share the video due to the graphic nature of the injury. For those who want to view the injury, you may click here. Discretion is advised.

The game endured a significant delay as Hutchinson remained down. Eventually, he was carted off the field into the Lions’ locker room.

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Numerous players on both the Lions and Cowboys surrounded the cart and gave Hutchinson well wishes before he left the field.

Aidan Hutchinson injury update

The Lions almost immediately ruled Hutchinson out with what the team referred to as a “lower leg injury.” That was hardly a surprise given the gruesome nature of the star pass rusher’s injury.

Dan Campbell revealed during his postgame news conference that Hutchinson had suffered a broken tibia. The fourth-year coach also announced that the 2023 Pro Bowler is remaining in Dallas to have the injury further evaluated.

Campbell added that Hutchinson is in “good hands” and will be “down for a little while,” but he stopped short of providing a concrete timeline for the recovery.

“It’s hard when you lose somebody like him,” Campbell told reporters. “But, we’ll know a lot more after this and obviously, [we] wish him the best.”

Who is Aidan Hutchinson’s backup on Lions depth chart?

Isaac Ukwu is the top listed backup edge rusher behind Hutchinson. The team also has James Houston on the roster, but he was a healthy scratch against the Cowboys.

The Lions were already thin on the edge before Hutchinson’s injury because free agent acquisition Marcus Davenport suffered a torn triceps earlier in the season. They are now down to just a couple of healthy edge rushers in Ukwu and Josh Paschal with Hutchinson out of action.

The Lions will likely look to shore up their edge depth in the coming weeks, especially with Hutchinson’s absence looking like a long one.

Aidan Hutchinson stats

Hutchinson had one sack and three quarterback hits against the Cowboys before leaving because of his injury. He entered Week 6 with a season-high 6.5 sacks to his name and upped that number to 7.5 against Dallas.

(This story was updated to include new information.)