NFL Rumors: Isaiah Thomas to Sign Lions Contract amid Aidan Hutchinson Injury

The Detroit Lions signed defensive end Isaiah Thomas off the Cincinnati Bengals' practice squad on Tuesday, according to ESPN's Jeremy Fowler.

The move comes on the heels of Lions superstar pass-rusher Aidan Hutchinson suffering a fractured tibia and fibula during Sunday's 47-9 win over the Dallas Cowboys. Hutchinson subsequently underwent surgery, and he is expected to miss the rest of the season, per ESPN's Adam Schefter (h/t ESPN's Eric Woodyard).

Thomas, 25, was a seventh-round pick by the Cleveland Browns in the 2022 NFL draft out of Oklahoma. He has not appeared in a regular-season game since playing 10 games for Cleveland as a rookie.

Hutchinson, who was the No. 2 overall pick in the 2022 NFL draft, has quickly established himself as one of the NFL's premier pass-rushers and a huge part of the Lions' success over the past few seasons.

As a rookie, Hutchinson recorded 9.5 sacks and finished second in NFL Defensive Rookie of the Year voting. He followed that up with 11.5 sacks and his first Pro Bowl selection last season.

Through five games this season, Hutchinson is the league leader with 7.5 sacks, but it doesn't seem as though he will get a chance to add to his total for the remainder of the campaign.

While the Lions are 4-1 and have looked like one of the best teams in the NFL this season, they aren't even in first place in their division, as the Minnesota Vikings are a perfect 5-0.

In fact, every team in the NFC North has at least four wins, so there may not be many gimmes on Detroit's schedule the rest of the way, especially without a defensive player the caliber of Hutchinson.

There is no replacing what Hutchinson brings to the table, and the Lions' statistical output so far this season tells that story.

Outside of Hutchinson, the Lions' sack leader this season is defensive tackle Alim McNeill with 2.5 sacks. The only other player on the team with more than one sack is Levi Onwuzurike, who has 1.5.

With pass-rusher Marcus Davenport likely also out for the season with an elbow injury, Josh Paschal and James Houston are penciled in as the team's top two edge rushers, neither of whom have recorded a sack this season.

That means Thomas could instantly have an important role with the team, although he has only one career sack in his own right.

Given that the Lions are a Super Bowl contender that reached the NFC Championship Game last season, they have to be considered strong candidates to make a trade for a quality pass-rusher prior to the Nov. 5 trade deadline.