Aidan Hutchinson injury: Cowboys’ Dak Prescott plans to get Lions’ Pro Bowler’s number to offer encouragement

ARLINGTON, Texas — The Detroit Lions (4-1) cruised to a nearly flawless victory in Week 6, a 47-9 smackdown of the host Dallas Cowboys (3-3).

However, the one snag was that they lost Pro Bowl edge rusher Aidan Hutchinson for the rest of the 2024 season with a broken tibia he suffered when sacking Cowboys quarterback Dak Prescott. Lions head coach Dan Campbell confirmed postgame that his superstar, who entered Week 6 as the NFL’s leader in sacks (6.5), QB hits (14) and QB pressures (40), will stay in a Dallas hospital after having surgery immediately. 

The entire Lions team came off the sideline to support Hutchinson as he was being lifted on to a stretcher and carted off the field. Some Cowboys players also came over to Detroit’s superstar pass rusher to encourage him, including Dallas quarterback Dak Prescott. Prescott went out of his way to do so since he could relate to what Hutchinson was going through. The quarterback fractured and dislocated his right ankle in Week 5 of the 2020 season in a home game against the New York Giants that similarly ended his season. 

“Obviously, that’s tough to watch, as you said, having experienced it, knowing where he is in that moment,” Prescott said postgame. “Hated it. Hated every bit of it. But for me, initially, I just told him to keep his head up. It’s part of the story. I promise, the way that this guy started his career, the guy he seems to be, not knowing him, he’ll be better after it. I know it’s probably hard to imagine right now. Then the last part, I just told him [on the field] it’s part of the story. It’s part of his story. Hell of player. I mean, hell, he did it going out on a sack. So, game changer, wishing him the best in his recovery. I know it’s going to be a mental challenge as much as it is physical, but the way that he started his career, and the player that he seems to be, I imagine he’ll be just fine and recover from it.”

Prescott now plans to get Hutchinson’s cell phone number from one of the three University of Michigan alums on the Cowboys — cornerback Jourdan Lewis, tight end Luke Schoonmaker or defensive tackle Mazi Smith — in order to have a full-length conversation with Hutchinson, who is also a Wolverine football alum. Prescott of all people can understand Hutchinson may not have absorbed his words in real time on Sunday. He is also doing it to pay forward the support he received when he went down with his season-ending ankle injury. Then-New York Giants cornerback Logan Ryan, who collided with Prescott on the play that ended the quarterback’s season, went out of his way to give Prescott advice and support during his recovery process. Ryan himself broke his fibula in Week 15 of the 2019 season, so he gave his NFC East rival some tips about his approach to returning to football. 

“It’s just something that I felt in the moment,” Prescott said of walking up to Hutchinson on the field. “Being honest with you, I’ll probably get his number from one of the Michigan guys in the locker room and reach out again. I just know in that moment, at that time, when I was in that position, I remember a guy, Logan [Ryan]. He gave me some words of encouragement. But once again, when you’re in that it’s blurry. It’s blurry. So I don’t even know if he heard them [his words of encouragement]. Don’t care if he heard them. I understand where he was, but it was Logan’s follow up to me that meant the most, and I’ll do the same. Maybe it’s even passing or sharing the same book that he shared with me. So yeah, it’s just something I felt in that moment as I said, understanding where he was, but being the competitor he is, probably didn’t care what I had to say. Wishing him well and everything, whether it’s surgery, whenever that is and he’ll be back better.”

Ryan’s book recommendations included a Kobe Bryant book and a specific Michael Jordan book the quarterback said was called “Relentless.”

Now, Prescott will be relentless in doing what he can to lift up another injured peer because that’s the right thing to do.