Stop me if you’ve heard this before, but injuries were a major factor in the Detroit Lions’ play in 2025. After suffering an injury-riddled year in 2024 and still winning the NFC North and the NFC’s top seed, injuries were too much to overcome in 2025. One of the biggest injuries to hit the team was to young star safety Brian Branch, who played in 12 games before missing the rest of the 2025 season.
Branch has been one of the best players not just on the Lions’ defense, but on the entire team in his
short career. From playing nickel in 2023 to moving to safety in 2024, he’s improved and become a staple of this defense. If he didn’t suffer an injury last season, I got a feeling he would’ve been re-signed already, or at least discussions would’ve been had to get that moving along. Now that he suffered a brutal Achilles injury, his future in Detroit, and arguably the NFL, is questionable.
Branch is still young, 24 years old, and he could easily recover from this injury, but Achilles injuries are challenging to return to being the same player you once were. I don’t believe the Lions have any doubts that Branch can return to form, but they’ll want to see it before making any future moves with him. With that being said, let’s take a look back at how Branch did in 2025 and how his 2026 season could play out.
Previous season previews: RB Jahmyr Gibbs, RB Sione Vaki, OT Penei Sewell, WR Jameson Williams, EDGE Aidan Hutchinson, DL Levi Onwuzurike, and CB D.J. Reed
Brian Branch
Expectations heading into 2025
Coming off a Pro Bowl season in 2024, Branch had lofty expectations in 2025. Being paired with fellow safety Kerby Joseph made them arguably the best safety duo in the NFL. Branch was poised to upgrade from Pro Bowler to All-Pro in 2025. The Lions got him some help in the secondary, signing cornerbacks D.J. Reed and Rock Ya-Sin, and bringing over safety/nickelback Avonte Maddox to give them a veteran in the room and valuable depth, along with a young safety in Thomas Harper.
With the upgrades around him, along with the multiple players returning from injury who were down in 2024, Branch and the Lions had big expectations heading into 2025. If Branch could have a stellar season, he might even have jumped linebacker Jack Campbell as the first player from the 2023 NFL Draft class to get a contract extension.
Actual role in 2025
12 games (12 starts)
Stats: 75 total tackles, nine pass deflections, five tackles for loss, two and a half sacks, one forced fumble, and one fumble recovery
PFF defensive grade: 77.5 (13th out of 104 qualifying Safeties — minimum 265 snaps)
PFF coverage grade: 74 (16th out of 104)
PFF run defense grade: 82.6 (t-9th out of 104)
PFF tackling grade: 87.7 (6th out of 104)
Branch had the worst year of his career so far, but it wasn’t bad; it just wasn’t up to the standard he had set for himself the previous two seasons. His coverage wasn’t as tight as the year before, and he failed to secure an interception. His PFF grades for run defense, coverage, and defense were the lowest of his career. The injury was the last straw for him and for the Lions as a whole.
Another issue with Branch in 2025 was his on-field demeanor. He’s famously known for throwing up two middle fingers against the Green Bay Packers in 2024 after being ejected for an illegal helmet-to-helmet hit on Packers wide receiver Bo Melton. He took it up to a new level in 2025, getting suspended for a game after a post-game fight with Kansas City Chiefs wide receiver JuJu Smith-Schuster.
Lions head coach Dan Campbell said what Branch did isn’t something this league needs.
“I love Brian Branch, but what he did was inexcusable. It’s not going to be accepted here. It’s not what we do. It’s not what we’re about. I apologize to Coach (Andy) Reid and the Chiefs, and Schuster. That’s not okay. That’s not what we do here, and it’s not going to be okay. He knows it, our team knows it. That’s not what we do.”
Branch spoke after the game and explained why he did it, expressing his regret and frustration with the whole thing.
“I did a little childish thing, but I’m tired of people doing stuff in between the plays, and refs don’t catch it. They be trying to bully me out there, and I don’t even—I shouldn’t have did it. It was childish.”
Outlook for 2026
Branch is still recovering from his injury, and his return date is up in the air. It was mentioned to Campbell that other players who suffered the same injury as Branch were seen practicing and participating in drills, so Campbell was asked if Branch could return sooner than expected.
Campbell joked, saying, “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 to start practicing for training camp, the Lions would have him start the year on the Physically Unable to Perform (PUP) list. He can come off that list at any time during training camp, but if he remains on that list once the 53-man roster is finalized, he would be forced to miss the first four games of the season. Campbell said Branch could appear on that list, but gave a positive update on his recovery.
“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.”
So if Branch is on the right path to recovery and the team wants to ensure he is ready to go before risking anything, I would expect him to start the season on the PUP list, with the potential to return in Week 5. This way, the team isn’t playing with fire, and they know he’s ready to go. With him in the last year of his contract, Branch won’t want to risk anything that could jeopardize an extension.
If Branch can come back and return to form, hopefully back to his 2024 version, he could be in for a very good payday from the Lions. Returning from this type of injury can take extra time, as most players don’t return to form until the year after they return to the field. With that, Branch might not be the same player he was before 2026, but if he can be even close to that, the team will benefit greatly. Their secondary has question marks all over, so getting someone they know will be solid and helpful will be a step in the right direction for them.
Lastly, if Branch can show he’s returned to form from his injury, he might not have to wait until the offseason to get a contract extension from the Lions. Lions General Manager Brad Holmes said he wants to keep the top four players from that loaded 2023 NFL Draft class, and Branch’s play upon his return will be a major factor in his future with the team.
