The Detrot Lions' defense was uniquely depleted by injuries in 2024. It has not been to the same level this season, but the secondary has been without multiple key pieces for long stretches and a couple are out for the season.
The latest injury hit came against the Dallas Cowboys in Week 14. Safety Brian Branch suffered what was fairly quickly confirmed to be a torn Achilles. The recovery time for a fully ruptured Achilles can vary some, with some players able to return faster than others, but 9-12 months is a general timeframe we can look to.
When they're both healthy, the Lions have one of the top safety tandems in the league. But Kerby Joseph has not played since Week 6, and even if he's able to return this season his knee issue may be an ongoing thing he'll have to deal with indefinitely. Now Branch looks sure to be out into next season, and how he'll look upon returning to action is a question.
The Lions may add someone to fill the void left by Branch over the rest of the season. But looking to the offseason, safety could now be added to the list of needs to address in free agency or the draft.
With a focus on 2026 free agency, and what they are likely to spend on someone, here are three bargain bin free agent safeties the Lions could target amid the injury concerns attached to Branch and Joseph.
3 bargain bin safeties the Lions could target in 2026 free agency
3. Julian Blackmon
Blackmon lingered available well into last offseason, until the New Orleans Saints signed him after Tyrann Mathieu retired in July. Then he played just one game this season before suffering a season-ending shoulder injury. It's unclear if that injury was related to the torn labrum in his right shoulder he played through with the Indianapolis Colts last season.
Injuries have been an ongoing story of Blackmon's career, with at least one missed game in each of his six seasons, But he topped 85 total tackles with at least three interceptions in back-to-back seasons with the Colts in 2023 and 2024, and he looked good in his one game for the Saints.
Blackmon's shoulder should be fine in plenty of time for him to hit the free agent market in March. If he's cleared medically, his production and versatility could put him on the Lions' radar.
2. Jabrill Peppers
After a breakthrough season for the New England Patriot in 2023 (78 total tackles, eight pass breakups, two interceptions, Pro Football Focus fifth-highest graded safety), Peppers played just six games last season due to injuries and a domestic violence case that landed him on the Commissioner's Exempt List.
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Peppers was then surprisingiy released just before this season started, amid questions about his fit in a new defensive scheme under head coach Mike Vrabel. The Pittsburgh Steelers scooped him up, but he has hardly played for them (66 defensive snaps) over nine games he has suited up for entering Week 14.
Peppers will be in the market for a fresh start, somewhere, in 2026. A return to the state he played college football in at the University of Michigan might be ideal, as the Lions look for depth options to fill in for Branch during his absence.
1. Avonte Maddox
Maddox would technically be a re-signing, since he has spent this season with the Lions. He also hasn't played a lot this season, which will surely change now that Branch is out.
Maddox stepped up nicely against the Cowboys when Joseph's replacement Thomas Harper suffered a concussion, registering eight total tackles with one pass breakup and a forced fumble over 80 defensive snaps. His 90.3 overall Pro Football Focus grade was the best among Lions' defenders in the game.
Maddox will offer a grain of familiarity for the Lions, which we know is important to them, and his ability to play safety and slot corner bolsters his value. As candidates to cover for the injury concerns around Branch and Joseph go, the veteran and Detroit native is a clear fit. There's a chance he's re-signed regardless of those injury concerns.