Since he arrived as the second overall pick in the 2022 NFL Draft, Aidan Hutchinson has been the driving force for the Detroit Lions' defensive line. Outside of a broken leg in 2024, he has not missed a game. Beyond that, he rarely leaves the field during games.
Of course finding an edge rusher to provide a consistent and viable pass rush threat off the edge opposite Hutchinson has been a tough task for the Lions. Al-Quadin Muhammad had a big season in 2025 with 11 sacks, but his production was very inconsistent and he departed to the Tampa Bay Buccaneers in free agency last March.
DJ Wonnum has stepped in as a capable secondary edge rusher this season, matching Hutchinson's sack total (five) despite playing one fewer game thus far. Rookie Derrick Moore, after a breakthrough performance in Week 9, looks poised to provide a welcome supplement to the Lions' pass rush from here on out this season.
Still, the Lions' pass rush pretty much goes as Hutchinson goes. Entering Week 10 he has the second-most pressures among edge rushers in the league (50, per Pro Football Focus). Just one other Lion, Alim McNeill, has more than 20 pressures so far. Wonnum is the next-highest edge rusher on the list with 14 pressures, followed by Moore with 10.
Lions' defensive numbers with Aidan Hutchinson off the field would be unbelievable if we haven't seen it before
ESPN's Bill Barnwell has put together a midseason ranking for all the notable individual NFL awards. Hutchinson got mention as a top-3 candidate for Defensive Player of the Year.
"Though the Lions haven't been great on defense this season, the idea of what they would look like without Hutchinson would lead their fans to shudder. This team started replacement-level defensive backs throughout their lineup before Brian Branch's return. For the second season in a row, the edge rusher across from Hutchinson (DJ Wonnum) is having a career year because Hutchinson gets double-teamed at the highest rate of any edge rusher in the NFL (12.7%)."
Expanding on the "where would the Lions' defense be without him?" idea, Barnwell offered some numbers from when Hutchinson has not been on the field this season.
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"Unsurprisingly, the Lions rank last in the NFL in defensive EPA per play, opponent QBR and pressure rate during those rare times when Hutchinson is getting a breather. I'm not sure any defender in the league is more load-bearing at the moment."
Depending on the source, Pro Football Reference or PFF, the Lions have had 555 or 556 defensive snaps through eight games this season. Over the snaps Hutchinson has not been on the field, totaling just shy of a game worth on-average thus far, they have put together the marks Barnwell noted. There are surely other, similarly dismal-looking defensive numbers from when he has been on the sideline.
There has never been any doubt about how indispensable Hutchinson is to the Lions' defense. But whenever numbers come out to show just how incredibly vital he is to the success of the unit, even if it's old hat and unlikely to ever change, it continues to be eye-opening.
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