The Detroit Lions are coming in fresh off their bye week, and have had time to self-scout and figure out some potential answers for their biggest problems on defense.
There is good news coming down the pipe in the form of the health of Brian Branch. Detroit's injured safety has been back at practice for a few weeks now, and seems likely to play against the Green Bay Packers. That would give the defensive backfield a boost at a time they need it the most.
Last week, rookie Keith Abney II stepped into a role at safety and was impressive. Now, Branch is back in the mix, and it sounds as if his excitable presence has brought an extra bit of juice to a group that has needed it badly. As Abney explained, the energy has been off the charts since Branch has been back.
"It's fun having him at practice. He's very, very energetic and physical. (A) very physical guy. So it's good having him out there. Having another guy bringing good energy to the defense and just seeing him fly around makes you want to fly around, too."
With the emergence of a potential star and Branch coming back, Abney sees the opportunity for a new dynamic duo to form in Detroit's backfield. When asked to describe what the pair could bring, Abney was bullish on the duo, describing it as potentially scary.
"Me and Brian (Branch)? Man, that could be very scary out there. You got Branch flying around, me flying around and then really, our whole safety room, everybody flying around. Getting Branch back? That's dope. That's what we need, and it's going to be good come Sunday."
There are questions about the readiness of Kirby Joseph the rest of this season. While many believe Joseph will return eventually, it's hard to say if that is reality or simply wish casting. Obviously, the hope is Joseph returns for depth's sake, but if he doesn't, the Lions need a real solution they can count on.
Getting Branch and Abney teamed up could be Detroit's way out of the wilderness. If Brad Holmes can add reinforcements during the NFL trade deadline, the cornerback room could be boosted as well. That would go a long way to making the defense a lot scarier than it has looked recently.
Abney excited to keep building on his fantastic NFL start in Week 7
Coming out of Week 5, the Lions were happy with what Abney brought to the mix as a rookie drawing his first NFL action. He stepped up in a big way against the Arizona Cardinals, and delivered five tackles and an interception.
That work earned praise from Dan Campbell and Detroit's coaching staff, and seems to indicate that the Lions will give Abney some more runway as he looks to make an impression early in his career. Fortunately, Abney isn't resting on his laurels even though he was happy to get a positive shout-out from Campbell.
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"It means everything. (It's) just a great compliment to have, especially from coach, the head man. You just got to take it with a grain of salt, because I got to keep going out there and gaining that trust and gaining my teammates' trust and just keep executing."
Obviously, assuming that Abney can keep the momentum going and Branch looks good coming off injury, the Lions could be in good shape moving forward in their defensive backfield. Possibly, Abney and Branch can become the dynamic duo that folks hoped Branch and Joseph were destined to be.
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