Aidan Hutchinson first set his sights on returning by the Super Bowl, should the Lions get there. It sounds like he's accelerated his timeline by a couple weeks.
After fracturing his leg in the Lions' win over the Cowboys two months ago this week, Hutchinson could be "back a little sooner than maybe they thought," per a report Sunday from Jay Glazer on NFL on FOX.
Hutchinson, who had a rod inserted in his left leg to stabilize a broken tibia and fibula, has been running on an underwater treadmill and walking on land, according to Glazer.
"He's supposed to use a cane, but he’s not really using it right now. And they actually are holding out hope, just because of how hard he works, that he could possibly be back not the Super Bowl, but the NFC Championship Game depending on how that bone feels and Dan Campbell says, also, how much practice he can get," Glazer reported.
It would be a rather miraculous recovery for Hutchinson. His original timeline for a return was four to six months after surgery, which excluded the Super Bowl even in a best-case scenario. But it wouldn't be out of character for one of the best defensive players in the NFL.
As Campbell said the day after Hutchinson's surgery, "I would never count Hutch out, ever. Probably a long road ... but I would say if anybody could make it back (this season), it’d be him."
"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.
"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.'"