Lions' Aidan Hutchinson Will Return to Practice Friday
Ahead of their Week 3 clash with the Minnesota Vikings, the Detroit Lions are still hoping to have their core intact.
The Lions’ depth has been decimated by injuries, with both lines in particular dealing with bruises throughout the first two weeks of the regular season.
Rookie defensive end Aidan Hutchinson’s availability was in question after suffering an injury in Detroit’s Week 2 victory over the Washington Commanders. Lions head coach Dan Campbell first described the holdup as a charley horse, but Hutchinson sat out practice both Wednesday and Thursday.
On Friday, Campbell said Hutchinson will return to practice.
“Hutch ought to be okay,” Campbell said Friday.
Hutchinson recorded three sacks in the Week 2 win, showing why Detroit felt so comfortable in selecting the Michigan product second overall in the 2022 NFL Draft. He’s a key piece in the young core of the defense, which has had its moments through the first two weeks.
“I think we’ve done some stuff really, really well,” Detroit defensive coordinator Aaron Glenn said. “Obviously, there’s some things that we’ve got to work on. I’ll tell you what, you look at our young guys and you look at them from game one to game two, you see growth there. You look at some of the guys that I’ve spoke before in OTAs that we count on from game one to game two, you see growth there. So, it kind of marries up to what our head coach expects, (which) is a race to improve. So, if we’re measuring it off that, I think those guys have done a pretty good job.”
Defensive back Amani Oruwariye and center Frank Ragnow returned to practice this week after missing the matchup with the Commanders. Ragnow was listed as a limited participant both Wednesday and Thursday, while Oruwariye was a full participant on Thursday.
The Lions’ center is now listed with a foot injury, after dealing with a groin issue that held him out of action in Week 2. Ragnow will practice Friday and have his status evaluated on Saturday.
Left guard Jonah Jackson also missed the Week 2 game, and has not practiced this week while recovering from a finger injury. Jackson won’t practice Friday, and could miss Sunday's game.
Notes
Campbell noted that he would be wearing gray pants on the sidelines again this weekend, noting, "Not that I'm superstitious."
