For the second year in a row, the Detroit Lions' brutal injury attrition continues, especially on the defensive side of the ball. Last year, the team was able to overcome these injuries to an extent, but it's getting tougher and tougher for Kelvin Sheppard's group to do so during the 2025 NFL season.
The secondary has been especially depleted, as before the season even began, second-year cornerback Ennis Rakestraw Jr. and promising rookie safety Dan Jackson were placed on Injured Reserve. Young star cornerback Terrion Arnold, unfortunately, joined them there earlier this week.
Veteran safety Kerby Joseph hasn't played since Week 6, and early in Week 14's Thursday Night Football matchup against the Dallas Cowboys, Thomas Harper also suffered a concussion. Already in dire straits, it was also announced on Friday that Brian Branch tore his Achilles tendon on Thursday.
Lions should sign Justin Simmons to salvage loss of Brian Branch
Branch will obviously be out for the remainder of the season, which leaves a gaping hole in the Detroit secondary. It was his versatility and high level of play that kept this Lions defensive backfield together, but his being out is like ripping the stitches out of an unhealed wound.
General manager Brad Holmes is being tested once again, as this late in the campaign, it is rare for a valuable player to still be available. Fortunately, the Lions are in luck. Branch's injury has now made it painfully obvious for Holmes to go out and sign veteran free agent safety Justin Simmons.
It remains a mystery why Simmons, a nine-year NFL veteran who still played some good football last year for the Atlanta Falcons, remains unsigned. He was a Second-Team All-Pro in 2023 for the Denver Broncos, his fourth such honor since 2019. It's not like he's fallen completely off the cliff.
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Even though Simmons is not quite at the level of Branch anymore, nor does he carry exactly the same kind of versatility, Simmons can still be utilized as a true free safety, a slot corner, or as a box safety who can play closer to the line of scrimmage.
Obviously, pulling a 32-year-old free agent off the street and expecting him to be an immediate star for a contending defense is not ideal. But Simmons has so much experience to draw from that he is as good a bet as anyone currently available.
Detroit doesn't have any wiggle room as it fights for a spot in the playoff picture. Signing Simmons wouldn't be an expensive endeavor, and it may just be the glue to hold this defense together enough so that the Lions' offense can carry them to a postseason spot and let the chips fall from there.