There's truly no replacing one of your best players, but that's where the Detroit Lions are right now with defensive end Aidan Hutchinson out for the season after suffering a fractured fibula and tibia in Week 6.
Any outside replacement for Hutchinson will have to be the right fit, intangibly as well as talent and skill set-wise. Brad Holmes and Dan Campbell value culture fit highly, almost beyond someone's talent.
Speaking to reporters on Thursday, defensive coordinator Aaron Glenn knows replacing Hutchinson is not truly possible but others have an opportunity to step up.
"Here's what we don't do", Glenn said. "We don't ask guys to replace Aidan. Everybody is his own man, and everybody has their own traits and abilities. We ask those guys to be them. We try to put them in positions to be the best player they can be."
"The one thing I'm not gonna do or the one thing I don't want (the media) to do is disrespect those guys that's been playing behind him or playing with him," Glenn continued. "Those guys go out there in training camp, OTAs, during the season, they bust their ass too to get an opportunity to come out here and play. They're gonna do a good job for us. The one thing I do know is Aidan doesn't play every play, and we have guys that go out there and play when he's out and they do a good job for us. We expect them to continue to do a good job."
Aidan Hutchinson absence is head coaching resume moment for Aaron Glenn
Despite the struggles the Lions' defense has had in previous years, Glenn has drawn interviews for multiple head coaching jobs every year. He's seen as a strong leader, and it's matter of time before he gets his first head coaching job.
If the Lions' defense does well without Hutchinson, it will be a strong testament to Glenn's game planning and scheming. Writing for Athlon Sports this week, as he outlined why the Lions don't need to replace Hutchinson to reach the Super Bowl, Andrew Perloff had a section about Glenn and landed on a perfect punch line.
"Time for Glenn to get creative. If he figures this out, he’ll earn a head-coaching position next cycle."
Hutchinson's absence is an obvious opportunity for other players to step up, but it's also pretty huge for Glenn. Teams who already are or may be eyeing a head coaching change after the season will be watching to see how he navigates the situation.