For a while, Aidan Hutchinson seemed almost as familiar with the Lions’ sideline as he was with Buffalo’s backfield. Every few plays, the cameras found him catching his breath, water in hand and lungs working overtime. Then ESPN analyst Kirk Herbstreit suggested Hutchinson was struggling, sending the concern into overdrive. Now, the former Michigan legend has finally broken his silence.

“The issue is, Kirk on the broadcast is like, they keep panning to me and, mind you, I do this every game,” Hutchinson said. “I’m out there for 10 plays, and then I’ll go to the sideline, and I’ll be having my arm resting, just getting some air for one or two plays. But they kept showing me on the broadcast doing that, and Kirk is like, ‘Man, he’s so tired. He’s fighting.”

Hutchinson, however, described his preparation as a lifestyle, explaining that the broadcast focused so heavily on his workload and body language that “everybody” around him started saying he looked tired and asking how he was feeling.

“I was like, ‘I’m in shape, guys, I’m good,’” Hutchinson added. “This is my normal — We’re good. I think I definitely have some of the worst body language pre-snap. But I think it’s a mind game, because then the O-line sees me like that, they think, ‘Oh, he must be tired.’ Then we turn up the next play. That’s how I frame it in my head.”

The numbers show just how much Hutchinson is being asked to carry. His 138 snaps lead all NFL edge rushers, 19 more than Andrew Van Ginkel. Last season, he topped 1,000 snaps, finishing just behind Jared Verse’s 1,026. When healthy, Hutchinson has proven he can be one of the league’s most reliable workhorses.

During the 2021 Capital One Orange Bowl, Georgia’s physical offensive line kept Michigan’s defense grinding through long, punishing drives. Cameras repeatedly caught Aidan Hutchinson bent over and catching his breath, but that body language was nothing new. He had shown the same habit throughout college, and it has followed him into the NFL.

Detroit knows its stars are carrying a heavy workload and plans to ease the burden by developing its younger players. Hutchinson leads all edge defenders in snaps, while Alim McNeill’s 149 interior reps are 33 more than Jeffery Simmons’, making both Lions linemen true workhorses.

“And as they continue to grow, the more they’ll get reps for Hutch and for (D.J.) Wonnum. And so that’s where we’re getting to and what we’re working through,” Detroit Lions head coach Dan Campbell added. “So no, ideally, we don’t want them out there that much just to keep them as fresh as you can, but also use them, maximize what Mac and Hutch can do.”

However, even with Hutchinson insisting he is not tired, the workload on his shoulders cannot be ignored. Still, he offered some relief in the same conversation, revealing that Detroit had the weekend off after facing Buffalo before returning to its regular practice schedule this week. According to Hutchinson, that reset has already made a difference.

“I feel great now,” Hutchinson said. “We had the weekend off and kind of got into a normal week.”

For Detroit, the development offers a much-needed boost after the defense surrendered 41 points against Buffalo. However, the Lions still face major concerns in the secondary, with Avonte Maddox ruled out for the season and both Brian Branch and Kerby Joseph still sidelined as they work toward their returns.