Safety Brian Branch and center Cade Mays made their official returns to practice on Wednesday.
It starts the respective 21-day practice windows for each. Both can be activated at any point over the next 21 days. Branch was placed on the physically unable to perform list to begin the season as he rehabs a torn Achilles, while Mays was placed on injured reserve with a designation to return after suffering a broken right wrist in training camp
.Branch suffered his torn Achilles against the Cowboys last December.
"It'll be good to get him out there running around, and actually doing football work. He and Cade both. Start their clocks and let them get back on the grass. It's good. Any time we can get some of our guys back off injury, that makes everybody
happy," Lions head coach Dan Campbell said on Wednesday afternoon.
Coach Campbell on DB Brian Branch and C Cade Mays starting their 21-day practice windows today pic.twitter.com/q0ywZ2Gv6E
— Detroit Lions (@Lions) October 7, 2026
Campbell was optimistic about Branch's potential return to practice on Monday, and he said the same about Mays in a radio appearance on Tuesday. The Lions were awaiting final clearance from doctors on both players' returns.
Both Branch and Mays were cleared, paving the way for a return for both at some point over the next three weeks.
Campbell said Tuesday that practice returns wouldn't guarantee that one or both would play this week for the Lions (2-2) at the Arizona Cardinals (1-3).
"We'd love to get them going this week. Doesn't mean they're going to play," Campbell said.
It is however a big step in the pair likely returning after Detroit's Week 6 bye for the Lions' home date against the Green Bay Packers (2-2).
The Lions' defense needs Branch back desperately. Detroit's passing defense (304 passing yards allowed per game) and total defense (423.8 yards per game) are both last in the NFL. And that's with a Detroit defense that ranks second in sacks with 15 already this season, led by Aidan Hutchinson's 3.5 sacks.
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This article originally appeared on Lions Wire: Two Detroit Lions stars officially open 21-day practice windows
