Aidan Hutchinson is likely done for the season -- but not definitely. Dan Campbell said Monday that the Lions star defensive end is facing a four to six month recovery after undergoing successful surgery Sunday on a fractured tibia and fibula, before adding, "I would never count Hutch out, ever."
"Probably a long road ... but I would say if anybody could make it back," said Campbell, "it’d be him."
The Super Bowl is Feb. 9, which is less than four months away. But Campbell said it's "huge" for Hutchinson to have the hope of returning before then.
"And just knowing Hutch, 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. You know it’s just sitting out there (and he's thinking). ‘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.'"
Hutchinson's surgery, which involved putting a rod in his left leg, "went great," Campbell said, but losing him is obviously a blow: "Hutch is a captain for us, highly productive player, great teammate, does everything right and was having one hell of a game, one hell of a season. It hurts to lose somebody like him. Not only the player, but the person in that locker room and the leader that he is."
That said, "what gives me hope moving forward," said Campbell, "is Aaron Glenn."
"We’ve been coaching here four years and he’s done everything in his power to work around any personnel we have and use the players we have and get the most production we can, and we will be able to adapt to that. I have a lot of faith in that D-line room," Campbell said.
He highlighted defensive tackles Alim McNeill and DJ Reader and defensive ends Levi Onwuzurike and Josh Paschal, and younger players like Isaac Ukwu, who debuted in the Lions' rout of the Cowboys. Campbell also cited practice squad linebackers Mitch Agude and Al-Quadin Muhammad and defensive end James Houston.
"So, we’ve got options and it’s why we play with three phases," he said. "We play offense, defense, special teams, and we help each other out. We’ll be just fine, we’re going to move forward, and I’ll kind of leave it at that."