In recent weeks, we’ve seen some clips of Detroit Lions safety Brian Branch and his rehabilitation from an Achilles injury suffered in early December. We’ve also seen some other players across the league who suffered Achilles injuries offer some optimism for their 2026 outlook. Colts quarterback Daniel Jones, who suffered an Achilles just days after Branch, was cleared for 7-on-7s this month. Niners tight end George Kittle is still aiming a Week 1 return, despite suffering his injury in the playoffs.
On Thursday, I asked Campbell if there was an outside chance Branch could be ready at some point in training camp. Safe to say, Campbell wasn’t quite as optimistic as Jones or Kittle.
“Uh, I don’t know. I mean, I guess there’s always a chance,” Campbell said.
Then, he joked, “I’m gonna just go ahead and widen the window so we don’t have to talk about it anymore. Let’s just go ahead and say December and then anything before that is a bonus. That way you don’t have to ask me.”
If Branch isn’t ready for training camp, he’ll likely start on the Physically Unable to Perform (PUP) list. Detroit will then have to make a decision at the start of the season if they’ll keep him on the PUP list, which would force him to miss at a minimum four games. Campbell said Branch is a candidate for that, but did offer some optimism.
“He could be,” Campbell said. “Look, there’s no setbacks with him. That’s what I can tell you. He’s doing a good job, he’s putting in the work, but it’s a little—until we really get closer, I hate to start throwing a timetable on him, but he’s doing well.”
Complicating matters for Branch is that he’s entering a contract year. Lions general manager Brad Holmes has already expressed an interest in giving him an extension, but on Thursday Campbell said they may need to get some reassurance about Branch’s future health before making that move.
“You always want to know that your guys are healthy and that this is truly healed,” Campbell said. “You’re always going to want to lean that way knowing the investment that would go into that.”
