Brian Branch was carted off the field in the Detroit Lions' 44-30 victory over the Dallas Cowboys in Week 14, and we now know that the injury he sustained late in the contest is looking a lot worse than fans had hoped.
Per NFL Network's Tom Pelissero, Branch appears to have suffered an Achilles injury. This would mean that both of the Lions' starting safeties for this season - Kerby Joseph and now Branch - are dealing with significant lower body injuries at a position where both have thrived for their explosiveness.
Branch, who has had quite an up-and-down year thanks to a suspension and injury management, hasn't looked like his 2024 self as of late for the Lions' defense. Of course, things are bound to get confusing when you have a rotating door of personnel on defense throughout the year. Branch may now miss significant time depending on the severity of the injury.
Branch feared to have suffered an Achilles injury
Branch's injury means that the Lions are down to only backup safeties in their locker room. Joseph said recently that he would like to return to play, and now, it seems like maybe the embattled safety might need to make a ramp back up into action sooner rather than later with this Branch injury. That is, of course, if he's really good to go.
If not, the Lions have Daniel Thomas and Avonte Maddox who can play safety interchangeably, but the team is notably thin at the position. That's led to the Lions giving up an uncharacteristically large amount of passing yards. That's why their pass rush has been so important to them these last few weeks, as getting to the quarterback would make life a lot more easy for those in the secondary.
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Of course, that's been an issue for the Lions, as well. Al-Quadin Muhammad lit up Dak Prescott for three sacks in Week 14, and he's now the sack leader for the Lions this season. That's great, but also brings to question why Aidan Hutchinson hasn't been able to keep pace this year. Double teams have been thrown at him relentlessly, but fans are hoping to see a lot more from their recently paid edge.
We have to wait and see what the severity of Branch's injury really is, and whether it knocks him out for the year entirely. Thomas Harper, Terrion Arnold and Josh Paschal are other Lions defenders prepared to welcome Branch to the injury list if he's unable to make it back on the field.