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Conviction in Penei Sewell's Voice Palpable as He Makes Bold Statement on Aidan Hutchinson's Return

Originally posted on Athlon Sports | By Nick Meyer | Last updated Jul 28, 2025 10:49 AM ET

The Detroit Lions lost Aidan Hutchinson against the Dallas Cowboys to a broken fibula and tibia in Week 6 of the NFL season, derailing a likely Defensive Player of the Year season before it fully matured.

The loss of Hutchinson led the Lions to try stopgap measures including a trade for Za'Darius Smith, formerly of the Cleveland Browns, but things were never quite the same as Detroit bowed out of the playoffs without their leader on defense.

On Sunday, one of the Lions' best players, offensive tackle Penei Sewell, made an emphatic statement on Hutchinson's current state as the Lions star continued to work his way back from his catastrophic injury.

"He's done a great job with rehab and he's done a great job with putting his body to do camp, so we just gotta keep on goin'...This is a marathon," Sewell added.

Penei Sewell on the returning Aidan Hutchinson :

“That man is the same Hutch if not better bro.” pic.twitter.com/7JuZ0Ad9uW
— Woodward Sports Network (@woodwardsports) July 28, 2025

Practice battles between the former two first round picks have become legendary among Lions fans and have set the tone for a team with two of the fiercest and most effective lines on offense and defense.

Lions fans could have a chance to see Hutchinson in game action for the first time since last fall this week with the Lions scheduled to take on the Los Angeles Chargers Thursday in a preseason game at Ford Field in downtown Detroit.

This article first appeared on Athlon Sports and was syndicated with permission.

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