Detroit Lions defensive end Aidan Hutchinson connected with head coach Dan Campbell on Tuesday and while the physical pain of surgery to repair leg fractures subsided, the 24-year-old is still dealing with a recovery of 4-6 months.

“He’s doing good. Now, he’s trying to process everything. It’s still pretty new,” Campbell said Wednesday.

The NFL leader in sacks injured his left leg in the third quarter of Sunday’s 47-9 victory against the host Dallas Cowboys.

Campbell said he isn’t ruling Hutchinson out for the season — the Super Bowl is five months away — but described the emotions of being confined to a post-op hospital room.

“‘Just exactly what is this? Where do I go?'” Campbell said of Hutchinson’s current mindset. “Which you would expect laying in a hospital room with his leg up. I know that he didn’t want to be a stranger. He talked about being back a little bit when it made sense. He knows he’s welcome here anytime. We would love to see him. The whole team would love to see him. He’s a huge part of what we are. We hate it for him.”

Detroit will attempt to address the loss of Hutchinson’s consistent pass rush (7.5 sacks) from within and monitor the trade market. This week the Lions signed a potential part of the solution, nabbing Isaiah Thomas from the practice squad of the Cincinnati Bengals.

“It doesn’t mean we’re done. It just means that’s where we’re at,” Campbell said.

–Field Level Media