Lions' Brad Holmes Facing Most Critical Decision

Lions' Super Bowl hopes ride on what Holmes will do to replace Aidan Hutchinson.

Oct 13, 2024; Arlington, Texas, USA; Detroit Lions defensive end Aidan Hutchinson (97) injures himself while trying to tackle Dallas Cowboys quarterback Dak Prescott (not pictured) during the second half at AT&T Stadium. Mandatory Credit: Kevin Jairaj-Imagn Images / Kevin Jairaj-Imagn Images

The Lions played their most complete game of the 2024 season on Sunday, and demolished the Dallas Cowboys, 47-9. In doing so, Detroit avenged its controversial Week 17 loss to the Cowboys from a season ago.

Yet, it wasn't all smiles for Dan Campbell's team as it left AT&T Stadium. The reason why: Pro Bowl EDGE Aidan Hutchinson was lost for the foreseeable future with a serious lower-leg injury (fractured tibia). 

All was well for the Lions in their Week 6 showdown with Dak Prescott and the Cowboys until the Hutchinson injury. Detroit was running away with the game and led the Cowboys, 34-6, with everything seemingly going right on both sides of the ball. 

However, at the 11:43 mark in the third quarter, the game was turned upside down for the Lions, with Hutchinson falling to the AT&T Stadium turf upon sacking Prescott. Immediately, you could tell something was seriously wrong with the Michigan product.

Upon suffering the severe ailment, Hutchinson stayed immobile on the field for a significant amount of time. Campbell and a number of worried players from both teams eventually came out to check on Hutchinson's well-being. They surrounded the 2022 No. 2 overall pick until he was removed from the field via a cart.

It was a gruesome scene for Hutchinson and the Lions, and a somber moment in an otherwise gratifying victory for Campbell and his team. The team announced that Hutchinson had successful surgery and will return to Detroit this week, but did not offer a timetable for his return.

Detroit will likely now have to play the remainder of the 2024 campaign without its most impactful defensive player, and also one of its biggest leaders both on and off the field. 

“Really tough, really tough,” Lions quarterback Jared Goff said of losing Hutchinson. “He’s a guy that’s part of the heartbeat of this team. He’s a leader. He does everything right. He’s a great teammate. He’s everything you want in a player and a teammate. To have him go down like that and be visibly upset is tough for all of us. He will be fine. He’s gonna come back eventually, whenever that may be. Knowing him, he will be fine and he will bounce back.”

The Hutchinson news is beyond devastating for defensive coordinator Aaron Glenn's unit. It's a catastrophic loss for the team's pass-rushing department, and one which cannot be replaced by a player (or combination of players) currently on the Lions’ 53-man roster or practice squad. No offense to the likes of James Houston, Levi Onwuzurike and Josh Paschal, but Hutchinson is far too gifted of a pass-rusher – and source of leadership – for that to be the case.

“It's an unfortunate loss to us and a big, big, big blow to us,” Detroit running back David Montgomery told reporters after the game. “It is just more personal for us, because of the kind of guy that Aidan is and the kind of character he has. What he brings to the locker room and to this team. For me personally, I am going to take it real personal for a guy like Aidan, because he was the heartbeat of this team. He still will be.”

Moving forward without Hutchinson, Detroit general manager Brad Holmes is left with just one logical solution: to pull off a pre-deadline trade for a difference-making EDGE defender (aka the Raiders’ Maxx Crosby). Any other decision made by Holmes to fill the seismic void would be insufficient. The Lions’ Super Bowl hopes, at this juncture, are riding on the fourth-year GM coming through with such a move, too. 

Thus, it's time for the usually conservative Holmes – cost-conscious at least when it comes to parting with valuable draft capital for high-end talent – to answer the call of the Lions faithful and to go all-in. Crosby has recently said that he's content with staying in Las Vegas. However, if the three-time Pro Bowler ends up changing his mind and decides he wants out, Holmes must make a call to Mark Davis and the Raiders. And, if I were Detroit, I wouldn't be hesitant to part with multiple future first-rounders to land the sack artist. Crosby, with a staggering 27 sacks, 45 tackles for loss and 67 QB hits the past two seasons, is that good. 

And remember, the time is now in Detroit to win. Not in 2026, 2027 or sometime after that. Holmes should be fully aware of that as well, and I believe that he is. 

It's why the time is also now to strike a deal for a player of Crosby's caliber. He not only could help the Lions hoist the Lombardi trophy this season, but he also would undoubtedly aid the team in its efforts to win a Super Bowl with a fully healthy Hutchinson next season. Hutchinson and Crosby would easily form the game's most potent pass-rushing duo. 

No ifs, ands, or buts about it, Holmes needs to go all-in and make this happen. His sterling reputation as a decision-maker is on the line, and would be hurt if he opts to not pull the trigger on such a blockbuster trade.