Brian Branch's achilles tear suffered Week 14 against the Dallas Cowboys sent the Detroit Lions into a total free fall. While their chances of making the postseason were slim headed into that contest, they became minuscule once Branch was ruled out for the rest of the season. Without him, and safety Kerby Joseph, their secondary was a modge-podge of practice squad call-ups and third string veterans.
Headed into 2026, Branch - and Joseph - are on the PUP list. That means that they're not cleared to practice as of now ahead of training camp, but are protected on the current 90-man roster. If both are placed on the reserve PUP, then both will have to miss at least the first four games of the season before getting cleared for football activity.
In Branch's case, it's possible that he'll be out until much later in the season while he continues to rehab his achilles tear. However, with the latest news regarding another player who suffered an achilles tear at around the same time as Branch, his return could come a lot sooner than we think.
Daniel Jones cleared for training camp could be good news for Branch
Jones, the Indianapolis Colts' starting quarterback, tore his achilles back in December. Typically, these injuries take about a full year to recover from, and if you're a quarterback, it's an even tougher bounce back period. Needing to work off your planting foot and using power from there to get passes off make recovery from these injuries even more tedious, according to Sports Injury Central.
If Jones is ready to go for training camp now, this could mean that Branch is ready to go after those four weeks on the active PUP are up (assuming he starts the season on there).
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If the team were to go this route, and Branch is potentially ready to go by Week 5 or 7, that could mean that he's ready for a pivotal matchup with the Green Bay Packers. Notably, this game could be around when Micah Parsons also returns after tearing his ACL.
Recovery from this kind of injury really does vary, though. You could have someone recover like Cam Akers did, with the former Los Angeles Rams running back returning to the field after just five months of rehabbing from a torn achilles. Or, Branch could need much of the year to fully be ready to back on the field. We really won't know, most likely, until Week 4.
That said, Jones' bounce back should inspire some positivity from Lions fans hoping to see at least one of the teams' starting safeties actually suit up this season.
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