Aidan Hutchinson is out of the hospital and back home in Michigan, but the Pro Bowl defensive end still faces a long road to recovery.

Detroit Lions coach Dan Campbell said Wednesday that Hutchinson flew home following surgery to repair his broken left leg and will be welcome around the team during his 4-6 months of rehab.

"I talked to him yesterday and he’s doing good," Campbell said. "Now, he’s trying to process everything, it’s still pretty new and so just exactly, ‘What is this? Where do I go?' which you would expect. I mean, he’s laying in the hospital room with his leg up, but he’s back and I know that he didn’t want to be a stranger."

Hutchinson broke the tibia and fibula in his left leg in the Lions' 47-9 win over the Dallas Cowboys last week and is expected to miss the rest of the season.

Campbell reiterated Wednesday that the Lions are open to making a move to fortify a defensive line that already has lost Hutchinson, Marcus Davenport, Kyle Peko and John Cominsky to long-term injuries, but that they don't feel any rush to do so.

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The NFL trade deadline is Nov. 5.

"I think literally it’s about doing your homework," Campbell said. "You’re digging through things, not just what’s on the tape but what else is out there that you don’t quite know about. You check on somebody and it’s like, ‘Well I may be open to it but you’ve got 24 hours.’ OK, something’s going on. Brad’s on it, he’s looking at everything, nothing’s off the table, but we’re just not in a hurry. We’re not in a hurry.”

The Lions (4-1) are still sorting through their in-house pass-rush options ahead of Sunday's showdown with the undefeated Minnesota Vikings (5-0).

Josh Paschal will start at one defensive end spot, and the Lions signed Isaiah Thomas off the Cincinnati Bengals practice squad Tuesday to add rotational help on the edge.

POTENTIAL HUTCH REPLACEMENT: Isaac Ukwu part of Detroit Lions' plan to replace Aidan Hutchinson: 'Can't let them down'

Linebacker Trevor Nowaske and practice squad defensive end Isaac Ukwu played in Hutchinson's place against the Cowboys, and Campbell mentioned practice squad veteran Pat O'Connor as another option this week. O'Connor, a seventh-round pick by the Lions in 2017, has played in 65 career games, all with the Tampa Bay Buccaneers.

As for Hutchinson, Campbell said the NFL sack leader talked about returning to the building "when it made sense" in his rehab.

"He knows he's welcome here anytime, and we would love to see him," Campbell said. "The whole team would love to see him. He’s a huge part of what we are and we hate it for him, but yeah, so we’ll see."

Dave Birkett will sign copies of his new book, "Detroit Lions: An Illustrated Timeline" at 7 p.m., Oct. 21, at 24 Seconds Bar & Grill in Berkley, and from 5:30-7 p.m., Oct. 22 at Stadium Cards & Comics in Ypsilanti. Order your copy here.

Contact Dave Birkett at dbirkett@freepress.com. Follow him on X and Instagram at @davebirkett.

This article originally appeared on Detroit Free Press: Aidan Hutchinson leg injury update: Star DE back in Michigan